The Right Reason
by ValaMagic
Summary: Brennan finds herself in a situation she never expected and Booth convinces her that what she thought was bad is actually good... BB later chapters
1. Chapter 1

AN: Okay, here we go first chapter in my new Bones fic... i know it's been done before but i figured i'd give it a try before we dind out how and why Brennan asks Booth to be the father of her child (can't wait to see that... or them naked in bed)... anyway here's the first chapter, read, review, and enjoy.

Chapter 1

Bile rose strongly up her oesophagus and she fought strongly to push the unpleasant avid back down into her stomach. The bile rose again and this time Temperance Brennan was powerless to push it back down and she forced her legs to carry her away from the mostly skeletal remains that she was examining. A horrible mix of bile and undigested food spewed unceremoniously from her mouth and into the foliage below her. She'd never vomited at a crime scene before, in fact Brennan couldn't remember the last time she'd vomited at all.

"You okay Bones?" Booth asked approaching her tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm good" Brennan responded wiping the last vestiges of bile from her pink lips before turning back to her partner noticing a few of the local cops in chuckling at her in the background. She was a laughing stock, a forensic anthropologist who lost her stomach at the sight of a pile of decomposing flesh and bones.

"Really Bones, because your lunch is keeping the worms company down there, that's never happened before" Booth pointed out sarcastically gesturing to the disgusting pile of bodily fluid and semi digested food that had Brennan almost grabbing her stomach again and spilling her breakfast in a similar pile.

"I'm fine Booth" Brennan reiterated though her voice held little of its usual self assurance.

"Well if you're sure..." Booth accepted, without believing his partner in the slightest "Can we get back to examining the body then?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute" Brennan stated gesturing for Booth to return to the scene, which he did, reluctantly wondering what was going on with his partner. Brennan leant against the large tree whose roots she had just vomited on and with the bark hard beneath her arms she took a few deep steadying breaths before following her partner back to the body that it was her job to give an identity to.

"The body's been her for at least two months. Female eighteen to twenty five, Caucasian, good bone structure looks like she was a dancer" Brennan concluded after snapping her latex gloves over her fingers and wrists and bending over the rotting flesh for a few moments while she fought back the urge to dash away and vomit again. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably and cramped, Brennan fought the urge to press her forearm against her stomach in an attempt to brace herself against the pain, but she knew Booth would worry immediately.

Instead she turned from the body "Send it back to the Jeffersonian and I'll be able to tell you more" She called back over her shoulder wanting to put distance between herself and the pungent smell of human flesh which did not usually bother her but on this day had her stomach wanting to leap out of her mouth.

"Shall we grab some Wung Fu's on the way back to the lab?" Booth asked Brennan as he climbed into the SUV next to her.

"Sure" she found herself answering though her stomach protested vehemently that she should not put anything into her mouth at that moment, least of all the sometimes strange ethnic food that Booth suggested.

Syd greeted the pair happily when they entered and took their usual booth, Brennan's stomach still doing cartwheels when Syd disappeared to the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with a bowl and a plate, placing the bowl in front of Brennan and the plate in front of Booth.

"Congratulations Doctor Brennan" Syd said before heading back to the counter leaving his customers to their meals.

"What is he talking about?" Booth asked digging his fork into sesame coated port while Brennan dipped her spoon cautiously into her soup, hoping that Syd had once again got it right.

"No idea" Brennan shrugged before taking the first taste of the soup which somehow soothed her burning digestive tract and stomach.

When Booth and Brennan had finished eating Syd returned "What did you mean before?" Brennan asked harshly.

"You don't know?" Brennan shook her head "You'll know soon enough. It's not my place to tell you" Syd said before Booth stood and ushered her out of the restaurant.

"The body should be back at the lab by now" he said by way of explanation.

"Yeah right, the body" Brennan agreed still distracted by Syd's words.

"So Bones, any idea what Syd meant when he said you'd find out soon enough?" Booth probed as they made the short drive back to the Jeffersonian.

Brennan wanted to give a firm and resounding 'no' to her partner but the truth was she did have an inkling as to what Syd had been speaking about.

"Maybe, but I hate jumping to conclusions. Syd is right, I'll know soon enough" Irrationally she already knew it was true, rationally she knew that the next few days would tell her everything she needed to know. It was only fear that stopped her from going to the pharmacy right then and clearing things up for certain. For the first time in her life Brennan found herself cursing her damned five and a half week menstrual cycle. Rationally she knew waiting wouldn't change the outcome, nor would worrying about it and irrationally she knew she was pregnant. But as usual Brennan pushed back her irrational side and listened to the rational... examine the evidence.

That was exactly what Temperance Brennan did while the two partners continued to drive in silence towards the Jeffersonian. First: Temperance Brennan had sex exactly four weeks ago. Second: she had vomited at a crime scene. Third: she had been feeling nauseous. That was all she knew for sure. Her only option was to go to the all night pharmacy and buy a pregnancy test. Then she could worry about the consequences. Then she could worry about what to do, once she knew for sure. When Booth followed her into the Jeffersonian her possible pregnancy hung over her head, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on the case until she knew.

"I'll be back in a minute Booth... Tell Zach to start the external exam and have Hodgins take soil and particulates from the body" Brennan commanded turning and walking back out of the Jeffersonian, the pharmacy was two blocks away, and she knew those sorts of tests took time so she calculated she'd be gone at least half an hour... maybe nobody would notice.

The tests came in packs of two. She examined the boxes quickly, self-consciously as the other customers bustled around her. Which test would be best? In the end she just grabbed one, surely they would all be as accurate as each other and headed up to the counter.

The boy who placed her purchase in a tiny bag smiled "I hope everything turns out how you want it to" he told her and she tried to grin back before taking the bag from him and dashing back to the Jeffersonian and into the women's toilet. She groaned a little as she scanned the instructions in the packet; pee on a stick, it seemed somehow wrong and messy but she did it anyway. Then she had to wait. She hid the stick under her jacket and made her way quickly back to her lab hoping no one would see her on the way. She was lucky and managed to sneak into her lab unnoticed and began flicking absently through the case file Booth had handed her earlier her fingers drumming rhythmically against the table while she waited for the stick to determine her situation.

And then it was there, the tiny pink strip that told her all she needed to know. There was a tiny life growing inside her, it probably didn't even have any bones yet. She shoved the tiny stick hastily into her drawer when Booth appeared in the doorway.

"Where have you been Bones, Zach and Hodgins found something on the body" Booth told her inviting himself into the room.

"Just had some things to do" Brennan replied vaguely already standing from her desk hoping to get as far from the evidence as possible. She knew it was time to start thinking about what she was going to do but in the back of her mind she still hoped that it was a false positive and that the second test would prove it.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Okay, here we go... second chapter. Let's get some reviews, tell me what you're thinking... pretty please

Chapter 2

The second strip turned pink and Temperance Brennan was forced to admit that she was in fact four weeks and three days pregnant, by her calculation. The only question left was what to do with that information. She had three options she knew. She could abort the foetus, but the thought of killing her own child simply because she had not planned to have a child seemed cruel somehow, she'd thought of abortion as a last resort for children who would be born with debilitating illnesses or for mothers in desperate circumstances, as far as she knew she was neither. Her second and third options involved carrying the child to term. The first of these was to put her child up for adoption and she feared that the adoption system was hardly better than the foster system that she had been subjected to. That really only left her with one option. Keep the baby.

And then she realised. She wanted the baby, she wanted the baby more than anything. The circumstances may not have been ideal, she may not have planned to ever have children, but now it seemed she was and she knew that her child would be wanted. She'd seen Booth with his son and she found herself wondering what her own child would be like, whether they would be a scientist like her, or more like Booth. She felt herself smiling happily her hand unconsciously resting on her stomach.

The enormity of the situation hit her suddenly as she collapsed happily onto the sofa in her office the tiny stick still in her hand. She was about to become a single mother. She was going to spend the rest of her life worrying about another human being, protecting them, hoping that she raised them properly. Hoping that her child would not grow up and murder someone, or be murdered. She found herself hoping that her child would not feel the pain of abandonment that she had felt. Mostly though she was just scared.

"Bones, what are you still doing here, it's almost midnight, go home" Booth's voice suddenly interrupted from the doorway of her office once again entering without her permission. Her brain didn't register that she was still grasping the pink stick until Booth gestured to it.

"Something you want to share with the class?" he asked grinning, already knowing what the stick indicated from the tiny amount of pink obvious between Brennan's fingers.

"Huh?" Brennan asked confused.

"Do you have something to tell me?" Booth rephrased.

"Oh, you mean am I pregnant? Yes" She told him her voice flat.

"Well that's great" Booth enthused moving across the room to hug his partner "Isn't it?" Booth asked hesitating in front of her.

"I don't know" Brennan admitted "I don't think I can do this alone, it's too much" she told him not noticing the tears that were welling in her eyes.

Booth cupped her face gently wiping her tears away with his thumb "You'll never have to do this alone. I will always be here for anything you need, and although I can't speak for Angela and the others, I'm sure they'll say the same thing. Okay?" Booth said rubbing a gentle hand over her shoulder "I know that financially you'll have no problems, but anything else you need you just have to ask" Booth assured his hand still caressing her shoulder gently. She nodded and then she was on her feet arms wrapped tightly around him.

"Thanks Booth. Just thanks" She whispered as his arms came around her tightly.

"Anytime, anything and I really mean that" Booth reiterated still holding his partner tightly.

"Hey Bones, can I ask how far along you are?" Booth asked suddenly grinning once again and releasing his partner slightly though his arms remained around her.

"I'd guess about a month" Brennan replied wiping a few stray tears from her eyes a small smile gracing her features before it was replaced by a harsher look "Booth, could you not tell anyone about this... you're the only one who knows" she requested quietly.

"Yeah of course" Booth agreed easily before turning to leave pulling Brennan close for a few seconds first and forgetting his reason for entering her office in the first place.

"And Bones" He called when he reached the door waiting until she turned around to continue "Don't worry, because you'll be a great mother, you learn fast, remember steep learning curve" he said grinning widely and both his confidence and happiness was infectious and Brennan found herself smiling again. She was having a baby, she would never be alone again.

The next morning she made an appointment with her doctor, just to make absolutely sure. Her stomach was turning in circles and she was glad Booth hadn't asked about the father of her child. His name was Ben and they'd only ever been on two dates before she realised that all he had been after from her was sex and that had been just fine with her. They hadn't spoken since. She knew he deserved to know, though she doubted he'd want anything to do with their baby. So after taking a deep steadying breath she dialled his number into her phone and listened to it ring loudly in her ear until she heard the customary voicemail message.

"Hi Ben, its Temperance. Could you call me back?" She spoke forcefully and clearly into the receiver and after leaving the brief message placed the phone back in the cradle. If he didn't call back, good riddance and if he did, well she'd just have to tell him the truth. Her doctor confirmed two days later what she already knew and Ben called the next day. She'd thought about inviting him to lunch but the thought of food and seeing him was too much for her instead she blurted out her news bluntly over the phone.

"I'm pregnant Ben" The silence on the other end of the phone made her wonder what her one time sexual partner was thinking, but she didn't have to wait long.

"Well get rid of it" he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm not going to do that"

"Fine, well don't expect child support or anything from me. I don't want anything to do with your mistakes" he spat.

"Our mistakes" Brennan corrected "And I have no need for your money. I'm only telling you out of courtesy Ben, if you want nothing to do with your child that is just fine. Have a nice life and I'd prefer you don't contact me again" Brennan said curtly before hanging up the phone and turning back to her computer. Her child would be fatherless, but she would make sure that didn't affect her child's development.

Booth didn't mention Brennan's pregnancy in the days following their conversation and she was glad for that. It gave her a chance to think, to process and to plan for the future, her future with her child, as a mother. But she also found herself thinking about the past, about her own childhood and her dreams of long ago before she'd felt the sting of abandonment. She'd dreamed of marriage and children, like most children did. She'd have a husband, a house, dog and a couple of kids who she could teach about science and life as her father did with her. Then her parents had left and she found herself losing her faith in families and marriage. She was an idealist then, before she'd realised that dreaming didn't do you any good. Dreaming got you nowhere because nothing could ever be the way it was in dreams, if you listened to your dreams you'd always be disappointed. Temperance Brennan was glad at that moment that she didn't believe much in dreams because if she had she might have been disappointed that she wasn't getting the whole package. She wasn't disappointed, far from it and as the days slowly passed she found herself getting excited, spending several minutes each morning examining her figure in her bathroom mirror waiting for the bulge that would become visible soon. The miracle that was her child and she found herself smiling almost constantly.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I know you're probably all disappointed that Booth isn't the daddy... but i don't know that coz you're all too lazy to review... stop being lazy and if you're enjoying this press the little button at the bottom and tell me

Chapter 3

"Hey Sweetie, you gonna tell me what's going on now?" Angela asked entering Brennan's office four days after Brennan had sat in the same room staring at a tiny pink stick that changed everything.

Brennan looked up from where she sat on the ground photos, lab reports and evidence set out before her.

"I'm pregnant" Brennan stated nonchalantly before turning back to her work. As she picked up one of the photos in front of her she was suddenly engulfed by Angela's arms around her, the crazy arist almost sitting on her lap as she tried to hug Brennan.

"Oh my god Sweetie, is Booth the father?" Angela asked grinning and pulling away from her friend falling onto the sofa instead where she was joined a few seconds later by Brennan.

"What? No" Brennan denied confused.

"Oh well who then?"

"Ben" she stated not bothering to elaborate further.

"The fireman?" Angela asked.

"Yeah. He doesn't want anything to do with the baby"

"Oh Sweetie" Angela said reaching out her hand to touch her friend's in a gesture of pity and comfort. "So what are you going to do?" Angela asked, her hand still resting gently on Brennan's.

"What do you mean? I'm going to have a baby. I don't need financial support from Ben, I'll be all right by myself" Brennan said suddenly confident in her abilities "Besides, Booth said he'd help out"

"You told Booth before you told me?" Angela asked feigning hurt.

"Not on purpose" Brennan defended "He saw the stick"

"Bren, you know I'll help out too?" Angela told her friend rubbing a gentle circle on her hand with her thumb.

"I know Ange. Thanks"

"And Bren, I'll also be coming shopping with you for stuff for the baby." Angela said excitedly, the thought of a shopping trip and a baby in her friend's near future "We'll have to get clothes, blankets, toys, stroller, crib, car seat..."

"Woah Ange, slow down" Brernnan said laughing slightly at her friend's obvious enthusiasm and suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed again "It's almost eight months away" Brennan reminded.

"Oh Bren, this is so wonderful, you're gonna have a little girl and you can take her to ballet and art classes and teach her to swing and cook" Angela fantasised, causing Brennan to laugh though she would usually have lectured her friend about anthropology and social customs at that moment.

"You know that it is equally probable that I will have a boy and even if I do have a girl I don't know if I want her doing ballet" Brennan countered.

"It's going to be a girl" Angela argued sounding sure of herself.

"You can't know that Ange" Brennan said disbelievingly.

"No I do know, you're going to have a little girl and she's going to look just like you" Angela said excitedly and Brennan found it infectious.

"If you say so Ange" she accepted smiling already thinking of a little girl with her hair and eyes and definitely her intelligence.

"So Booth is going to help you?" Angela asked suggestively getting up from the couch and heading out of the office.

There was a lot to do, it was only just starting to dawn on Brennan just how much but she knew that between her partner and her best friend she would be able to get it all done. Brennan decided it was time to do the thing that she knew how to do best; research. She began trolling the internet for information about pregnancy and childbirth and then later child raising. Until Booth appeared in her doorway once again.

"Bones, food, come on, shut down the computer" Booth commanded picking up Brennan's bag and jacket. She wanted to protest but realised that she was actually quite hungry, she hadn't had much for breakfast because of the nausea which was still present at lunch and she found that now the nausea had dissipated she was starving.

"Booth?" Brennan asked munching on a chicken burger at the diner while Booth shoved his fork into his piece of pie.

"Yeah"

"How do you do it?"

"You just have to love them Bones, and that's not hard, not for someone like you. It's almost impossible not to love your child and in your case I'm not worried. You just love your kid Bones and everything else will work out fine" Booth said grinning at his partner's rare show of vulnerability.

"Thanks Booth" she replied, still not sounding sure.

"Anytime." He assured "But let's just focus on getting your child born healthy before anything else. Baby steps, Bones, baby steps" Booth was right of course, there was no sense worrying about bringing up a child that was not much bigger than a peanut and she knew that when the time came Booth would be there to help her out, with whatever she needed.

"Booth" she asked again finishing up the last of her sandwich "Can I ask you something... a favour?" she asked tentatively fiddling with her napkin.

"Anything you like"

"Could you be a kind of father figure for my baby? I mean the father doesn't want anything to do with the baby and I know how great you are with Parker. If you think it's too much I understand, but I would really appreciate it" she was nervous, fiddling with her napkin and not looking at her partner until his hand came to rest on hers gently massaging her knuckles.

"I would love to be your baby's father" Booth said grinning, trying to ignore the voice in his head that reminded him he would love to be more than just the father figure to her baby. Much more.

"I don't know what you really want me to do, but I would be honoured to be a part of your baby's life, and your life. I'm not going anywhere" Booth reiterated. Every time Booth told her that he wasn't leaving she felt just a little more at ease, and she was sure he knew.

"I don't really know what I want you to do either, I just know I want you around. Need you around" she admitted her voice hitching a little.

"It's okay Bones, we'll figure it out when we get there" Booth decided holding his hand out to Brennan as they left the diner.

"Yeah, together" Brennan repeated letting the word roll over her tongue and out of her mouth, musing that Booth really was the father of her child, if not biologically then in every other way he would be.

When Booth dropped her home she didn't reach for the door handle immediately and Booth could sense there was something she wanted to say and waited patiently for her to begin.

"If I was going to choose anyone to have a baby with... it would be you" She admitted quietly before turning to get out of the car only to be stopped by Booth's hand on her shoulder.

"I've got Parker this weekend, do you want to spend the afternoon with us on Sunday?" he offered.

"But Booth, that's your time with your son, you hardly ever get to see him, I don't want to intrude" Brennan excused.

"No, it wouldn't be an intrusion, Parker talks about you all the time... I just think it would be good for your confidence as a caregiver to spend a bit of no pressure time with a kid, plus its fun" he argued smiling.

"Yeah, okay. If you're sure I wouldn't be intruding" Brennan accepted though Booth still sensed apprehension.

"You won't be. Pick you up Sunday morning" When Brennan crawled into bed that night it was with a light heart. Her child would have the best father a kid could have and she was spending Sunday with Booth and his little boy. She fell asleep thinking about that, not how many things she needed to buy, or how she would manage her two careers and a child, because she realised that none of it really mattered, Booth was right when it came to children the only thing that mattered was love.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Here we go... chapter 4... And yes it's good to see that there's a few people who aren't lazy but the rest of you i would love to know what you think... it doesn't take a lot of effort

Chapter 4

"Hey Buddy, do you remember Daddy's friend Bones?" Booth asked his son the next day while they walked to the park near Booth's apartment.

"Yeah, Doctor Bones is cool" Parker informed his father skipping slightly ahead on the sidewalk.

"Yeah, she is" Booth agreed smiling at his son's assessment of his partner "Well Bo – Doctor Bones is going to be spending the afternoon with us tomorrow, if that's all right with you" Booth told his son.

"Yay, can we go to the zoo? Coz I'm sure Doctor Bones will know the names of all the animals" Parker asked excitedly.

"Yeah sure Buddy, whatever you like. But don't you think your old Dad would know all the animals too?" Booth asked somewhat hurt, but mostly just amused.

"Of course, but Doctor Bones knows all about them too, she told me before that her favourite animal is the elephant, because they look really tough but she said they're really big softies, like you" Parker blurted out running ahead of his father to the playground and straight onto the slide.

It seemed like such a long time ago that Rebecca had told Booth the same news as his partner just had, and he had asked her to marry him, not because he thought he should but because he wanted to. The all encompassing fear that Booth had felt at first was still there, though now he feared for his son's life and wellbeing, back then he had feared the change. But even then he had never once doubted that he wanted to be a part of his son's life and Booth couldn't imagine what this Ben character was thinking. And he remembered despite the situation between him and Rebecca, the complete wonderment of watching her belly slowly swell and knowing that it was his child growing inside of her, that it would be his DNA that child shared. He remembered the first time he'd seen his son, he'd been so tiny, Booth was scared he would break when the boy was placed into his arms. And Booth knew that despite the disagreements he and Rebecca had about when Booth would take his son, he could never wish that he did not have a son. And Booth knew he would love his partner's child like it was his own, that the miracle would be no less amazing when the child did not share his own DNA, because it shared hers, it was a part of her and they had become a part of each other. Booth smiled broadly while he watched his son happily slide on the slide and run through the playground and decided to put in a quick call to his partner.

"Hey Bones, I talked to Parker, he's really excited about seeing you tomorrow" Booth told his partner a smile still plastered on his face while he thought about spending the day with his two favourite people.

"Really?" she asked disbelievingly taking a sip from a glass of water while she glanced over her most recent chapter of her novel.

"Yeah, he said you're cool" Booth recounted grinning "That means you're in" he explained.

"Wow"

"Yeah, he want to go to the zoo, says you know all the animals... so Bones better go brush up on your wild animal stuff" Booth instructed, and she could imagine that his charm smile graced his features although it had no effect on her and certainly couldn't when she wasn't in his vicinity.

"My knowledge of wild animals is quite extensive Booth, I don't need to brush up" Brennan replied slightly offended by Booth's assumption.

"Just an expression Bones. I've got to go push Parker on the swing" Booth told his partner waving to his son who was gesturing him over to the swing set.

"Yeah, of course Booth, go have fun I'll see you two tomorrow" Brennan paused for a second "Tell Parker I'm looking forward to it" she finally added, though Booth sensed she wasn't quite sure of herself.

"I'll tell him, bye Bones" Booth agreed before disconnecting the call and sliding his phone back into his pocket, crossing the park easily to his son and easily propelling him into the air.

"I talked to Doctor Bones" Booth told his son "She says she's looking forward to telling you about all the animals tomorrow"

"Can we have ice cream too?" Parker asked happily.

"We'll see. But Parker, there's something else I want to talk to you about before we see Doctor Bones tomorrow" Booth said, suddenly more serious.

"What Daddy?" Parker asked swinging slowly higher with his father's help.

"Well Parker, Doctor Bones just found out that she is going to have her own baby soon. But Parker, her baby doesn't have a father, so I'm going to be the father of her baby, just like I am to you" Booth tried to explain to his son, though he simplified it for the seven year old.

"Which means that if you want you can be her baby's older brother" Booth searched for how to convey what that would mean to his son "Like your friend Dominic has a little brother, only you won't be living with Doctor Bones and the baby" Booth tried to explain.

"Oh, that's sounds cool, Dad. I'd love to have a little brother."

Booth laughed "The baby could be a girl Parker" Booth made a mental note to have Bones explain some of the finer points of biology to his son as well.

"No, it has to be a boy, having a little sister would be embarrassing" Parker insisted causing Booth to chuckle again. The little boy continued to swing in silence for a few moments before posing another question to his father "Does that mean that you and Doctor Bones will be living together with the baby?"

"Um, no" Booth answered thrown by the question "Doctor Bones and the baby will live at your place, like you live with Mommy"

"Oh okay, but we'll get to see them lots right?"

"Yeah" Booth confirmed, the whole situation suddenly seeming more complicated than he had first thought.

BB-BB-BB-BB-BB


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry this chapter took longer than i planned coz i had a few one-shots that were begging to be written... there's still one more i have to write... anyway here's the chapter don't forget to review.

Chapter 5

"Hey Bones, you ready to go?" Booth greeted her at the door to her apartment and couldn't help but smile when she turned her back. She was dressed in a pair of jeans t-shirt and a hat that looked like something an archaeologist would wear on a dig and he had to remind himself that anthropologists were kind of similar to archaeologists so it wasn't surprising. But she did look cute. He was still grinning when she turned back to him her bag in hand.

"What's so funny? Am I dressed wrong?" Brennan asked looking over her outfit confused.

"No Bones, you're just fine, love the hat though" Booth told her still grinning as she locked up and they headed downstairs.

"Booth, I need a hat, you know how fair my skin is. If I'm out in the sun all day I'll get burnt" Brennan protested taking his amusement as a dislike of her clothing choice.

"No Bones, I'm serious I really like the hat, it's very you" Booth assured her, his hand settling on the small of her back as they walked down the hall.

"Okay" she agreed glancing at him out the corner of her eye "Booth? You know I haven't been to a zoo since I was a kid" she admitted quietly, unsure of herself.

"I guessed as much" Booth told her smiling "They don't change much" he added thoughtfully steering her to the car where Parker sat impatiently waiting for his father and friend. Bones chuckled quietly at Booth's reassurance as she climbed into the car next to him.

"Hey Parker" she greeted turning to the child and trying not to show how uncomfortable she was.

"Hey Doctor Bones" he waved, she was saved from any further conversation right away by Booth who interrupted.

"You guys ready to see the animals" He asked turning the key in the ignition and pulling into the street.

"Yes Daddy" Parker exclaimed before turning to Brennan "What animals are we going to see Doctor Bones? I bet you know all about them don't you?" the boy asked eyes shining with admiration towards the scientist and it occurred to Booth that maybe the Booth family held a soft spot for Temperance Brennan.

"Actually Parker, I don't know what animals are going to be at this zoo, so we're just going to have to be surprised" Brennan replied smiling kindly and at a look from Booth she added "But I'm sure I'll know lots about the animals, maybe there'll even be some tigers" Brennan mused glancing to Booth and remembering his Vegas nickname, Tony the Tiger.

"Do you like tigers too?" Parker asked.

"Yeah, tigers are pretty... cool" Brennan told him, glancing over to Booth, wondering if he understood the hidden meaning behind her words.

"Hey Parker?" she asked twisting in her seat to face the young boy "Did you know that a tiger can weigh as much as six hundred and sixty pounds? And the oldest tiger fossil is approximately 1.8 million years old, modern humans only evolved two hundred thousand years ago"

"Wow" Parker said, no really comprehending Brennan, but knowing from the tone of her voice that it was amazing.

"That means that tigers existed for over one and a half million years before humans ever existed and humans have been around for a really long time" Brennan said making sure the seven year old could understand her.

"Wow" Parker said again "have they really been around that long? Wow, tigers are really old, almost as old as dinosaurs" Parker exclaimed, and Booth wondered if his partner would correct her son.

"Actually Parker, tigers aren't quite as old as dinosaurs, they lived during the Triassic and Cretaceous periods, they've been extinct for sixty five million years. In fact they were present on earth much longer than humans have been, they were dominant on earth for one hundred and sixty million years, humans only evolved two hundred thousand years ago"

"Bones!" Booth interrupted groaning "I think that's enough science for now" he told her, thinking that if he couldn't keep track of her babbling how was a seven year old supposed to.

"No Daddy, I like Doctor Bones telling me about the animals, she's really smart" Parker argued looking back to Brennan immediately.

"Okay" Booth said waving his hand for Brennan to continue, but she didn't.

"What about hippos, do you think there'll be hippos?" Parker asked excitedly from the back seat.

"Maybe, hippos are very common in zoos, in modern history the first recorded hippo in a zoo was in London in 1850. Despite common misconceptions, hippos are actually quite aggressive, one of the most deadliest animals in Africa, possible in the world and one of the largest too" Brennan explained and although his son held onto every word, Booth wasn't sure he understood them all, but he guessed Parker understood the general gist.

"Do hippos really kill more people than lions and tigers?" Parker asked disbelievingly.

"It's hard to get exact numbers but yes I think so." Brennan told Parker who was easily convinced.

"Wow, Dad. I think hippos are my new favourite animal" he exclaimed as they pulled into the parking lot.

"Okay, well let's see if we can't find some hippos while we're here." Booth told his son smiling, enjoying Brennan and his son interacting so easily, though he knew his partner still had a way to go before she was completely comfortable with having a child of her own.

"Sure Dad, but I want to see the tigers too, because Doctor Bones said she liked them, and the elephants coz they're her favourite and the monkeys because they're your favourite" Parker babbled quickly as Booth helped him out of the car Brennan following smiling at the father and son. They really were similar she had to admit, both thinking about others before themselves, even the seven year old was thinking about what Booth and Brennan would like to see as well as what he wanted to see. She smiled, he was a nice kid and she felt suddenly protective towards him, and she realised that if anything happened to that little boy she would be devastated, and not just because she didn't want to see Booth in pain.

"Hey Park, have a look at this" Booth called as they entered the park.

"That's an emu" Brennan supplied turning to where Booth pointed as he picked up his son heading to the enclosure so that the young boy could see the birds better.

"A what?" Parker asked eyeing the strange creature cautiously.

"An emu. They're native to Australia, and one of the few birds in the world that do not fly"

"I thought all birds fly" Parker stated confused, thinking about all the birds he'd seen, they all flew, ducks, eagles, sparrows, magpies, why didn't emus fly.

"Nope, most but not all, ostrich's don't fly either" Brennan told him "Nor do kiwis, penguins or dodos, of course dodos are extinct now" Brennan added while watching the strange animal strut around the enclosure.

When Booth set Parker back down on the ground he immediately ran over to Brennan a couple of feet away and slid his hand into hers, Booth laughed when he saw the shocked look on her face and gave her a slight nod of encouragement. She twisted her fingers into the small child's and let him lead her easily towards the Giant Pandas, Booth trailing behind them to give Brennan a little time to become comfortable with the little boy.

"Daddy said that you're going to have a baby" Parker said looking up to Brennan for confirmation, Booth was out of earshot.

"Yeah I am" she said, trying to keep the shock from her face and her voice, Booth had told his son.

"He said that you're baby doesn't have a father, so he's going to be its Daddy, and that I can be your baby's brother." Parker continued, and this time Brennan couldn't keep the shock from her face.

"It's going to be a boy isn't it?" he asked unsure "Because my friend from school said that little sisters are really embarrassing, he has one" Parker added, while Brennan tried to grasp what the seven year old was telling her. It seemed Booth was really taking her request seriously and she found that with Parker's fingers intertwined with hers she didn't mind much, actually it sounded kind of nice, she imagined her, Booth, Parker and walking around the zoo with a stroller and a little girl, when she got hungry Booth would offer to nurse her while she sucked on her bottle. He'd smile happily tickle the little girl while she watched Parker run around on the grass. It was a nice image and she could actually see it happening, at least until Booth pressed a soft kiss on her lips while Parker squealed 'eew' as he placed the little girl back in the stroller and they continued walking his arm around her waist.

Brennan pulled herself back to the present where Booth had finally caught up to her and Parker who were standing in front of the panda enclosure "Well if that's what your father told you Parker, then I would be glad for you to be my baby's big brother" she told the boy smiling, she'd talk to Booth later and find out what was going on.

"Thanks Doctor Bones, but what exactly does a big brother do?" he asked, suddenly not sure.

Brennan thought back to her childhood with Russ and all the things that her older brother had done for her "Well Parker, a big brother plays with their little brother or sister, mostly, just like you do with your friends. But a good brother also looks out for the their younger sibling, makes sure they don't get hurt or anything like that" Brennan explained, thinking back to her brother who had ensured she wasn't bullied at school, even though the other kids didn't like her much.

"Oh" Parker replied "What's a sibling"

"It's a word that refers to either a brother or a sister, older or younger, and since we don't know whether the baby's a boy or a girl it's easier than saying brother or sister all the time" Brennan explained while Booth tried to figure out just what had transpired between his son and partner.

"Oh" Parker repeated turning to look at the pandas, while Brennan turned to look at Booth, a slight grin playing across her face, he really thought of this baby as his she realised, and it didn't bother her as much as it should, after all that baby should have been his.

They continued on to the elephants, Parker's hand once again in Brennan's and Booth's hand protectively on the small of her back, though when they paused at the enclosure he slung it casually over her shoulder, surprised when she didn't pull away.

"Do you remember what I told you last time about the elephant?" she asked Parker as he stood on a bench trying to get a better view.

"Yeah, they're the biggest animal in the world and they're really smart and can remember lots of stuff" Parker told Brennan and she laughed.

"Yeah, but they're only the biggest land mammal Parker, don't forget about whales, they're a lot bigger than elephants" Parker looked disbelievingly at the elephant, surely no animal could really be bigger than that. Booth watched his partner, it seemed she was quickly grasping the concept of giving limited information in simple form to those younger or of lesser intelligence than herself and Booth was glad. He knew she would be fine, because Temperance Brennan was a forensic anthropologist and a best-selling author with an incredibly steep learning curve, and she finally had a family.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry this chapter's taken so long and that it isn't very long but i've got too many ideas and not enough motivation to actually write them... anyway enjoy this chapter and i'll try and get the next one up soon.

Chapter 6

"Bye Parker" Brennan called as Booth unbuckled his son from the back seat.

"Bye Doctor Bones, thanks for telling me about all the animals. Can you come to the museum with me and Daddy next time?" he asked tiredly snuggling into Booth's arms.

"Sure Parker, there's a dinosaur exhibit opening at my work in a couple of weeks" Brennan suggested, Booth smiled, she was a fast learner, she already knew how to charm the youngest Booth.

"I'll be back in a minute" Booth told his partner quietly and began heading towards his ex-girlfriend's house to drop his son off.

"Daddy" Parker whispered "I didn't get to say goodbye to Doctor Bones properly we can't go yet" Booth smiled again and turned back towards the car.

"Okay kiddo, don't take too long your mum's waiting"

"Okay Daddy" Booth shrugged as Brennan opened the door to the little boy slightly confused. Parker climbed easily into Brennan's arms blissfully unaware of her discomfort. Brennan hugged Parker close for a few moments before Booth told him to hurry it up and he placed a wet kiss on Brennan's cheek before happily curling into his father's arms.

The next thing Brennan knew was Booth shaking her awake and telling her that they were home, or at least they were at her home, not that she remembered falling asleep. She hadn't realised she was so tired, or maybe she'd just gotten used to the feeling of exhaustion over the past couple of weeks. Of course it was nice to know the cause of her sudden inability to last through the day without a quick nap on her couch at lunch.

"You gonna come in?" Brennan asked sleepily gesturing towards her apartment.

"You look like you could use some sleep" Booth replied unsure.

"Booth, I'm pregnant I'm always tired" Booth wasn't sure if that was a valid statement, Rebecca hadn't allowed him around for much of her pregnancy but he supposed it made sense "You can't spend the next eight months away from my apartment" she reasoned "Besides, I'd like the company" she added clambering out of the car as if the discussion was over. Booth followed warily.

Brennan collapsed on the couch without even offering him a drink, but Booth hadn't expected her to. They had long ago become so comfortable in one another's apartments that no offering was needed. So it was Booth who was left to trudge into the kitchen in search of a drink.

"You want anything?" he called out to his partner.

"Sure, just a bottle of water" Brennan replied sleepily "Thanks" she muttered giving him a weak smile but keeping her eyes closed when he dropped the water into her waiting hand. Booth was quiet sipping in the beer that she now kept in her fridge mostly for him, he kept quiet, letting Brennan recover some of her strength.

"Thanks Booth... for today" Brennan muttered eventually.

"Did you have fun?" Booth asked smiling a little.

"Yeah, I did"

"And you're feeling better about, you know" Booth asked gesturing to Brennan's stomach.

Brennan considered for a moment "Yes, I am. Parker's a good kid Booth. I'm still a little worried about the first couple of years though, it's going to be so tiny, so dependant, there's so much I could do wrong and you know I'm scared because no matter what at the end of the day it's just going to be me and the baby, what if I can't handle that?" she asked tears streaming readily down her face by the time she finished speaking, her eyes searching his for the answers she so desperately needed, but he wasn't sure he could give.

"Come here" he whispered, opening his arms to her and she gratefully fell against him curling her legs beneath her body "You know you can do anything Bones, and if you want me to, if you ask me, I'll stay with you, help you out, I told you... whatever you need" Brennan looked up at him, could he be serious? But she knew he was.

"You don't have to do that Booth"

"I know, that's why I'm going to"

"I'll never understand you Seeley Booth" Brennan muttered before snuggling closer to him.

"One day you will" Booth assured her, after all everything happens eventually. He rubbed her back soothingly until finally she stopped sobbing and Booth tried to remind himself that it was probably only one of many similar occasions that would occur over the next few months.

"So, Parker told me that you said he could be my Baby's brother... Did you mean it?" Brennan asked her mood completely turned around.

"Yeah, if it's okay with you, I know I didn't talk to you, I didn't mean to say it at all, I guess it just came out" Booth babbled, suddenly unsure of his decision.

"Booth" she said pressing her hand to his chest to stop him babbling "I'm okay with it, I think it's good, most research shows that children with siblings are much more generous than children. Also it's important for children to develop strong interpersonal relations especially with other children" Brennan explained causing Booth to laugh, this was the Brennan he knew and loved.

"That's good Bones, Parker's really excited, I didn't want to have to tell him he wasn't going to have a little brother or sister, of course I don't know what I'm going to tell him if it's a girl" Booth added, thinking of his son's horror at the idea of a baby sister.

"Well Angela seems to think it's going to be a girl" Brennan told him.

"What about you? What do you think?"

"I think that since I'm only five weeks pregnant and the baby doesn't yet have genitalia we shouldn't hypothesise" Brennan told him grinning slightly "But I think a girl would be nice and objectively I have to admit Angela is very in tune with these types of things and I wouldn't be at all surprised if she were right, besides there is a one in two chance that she is right" Brennan reasoned logically, her eyes dancing around the room anywhere but towards her partner.

"I can imagine you with a little girl" Booth said tipping her face towards him.

"You can't imagine me with a little boy?" she asked suddenly worried again.

"That's not what I meant Bones. You will be fine either way, but try not to worry unnecessarily, stress is bad for the baby"

"I know, I've been doing some reading... But Booth, I can't seem to stop worrying about the baby"

"Yeah Bones, I know it's part of having kids, you'll never stop worrying about that baby" Booth said grinning suddenly.

"Right, just another one of the joys of parenthood... now I remember why I wasn't going to have any kids" she said wryly and Booth laughed.

"You don't mean that. When you feel your baby kick for the first time, or see the first ultrasound and when you finally get to see your baby and it in your arms... Bones you'll never look back, I promise" Booth told her, his eyes sparkling with the love he had for his son. Brennan found herself wishing that the months would pass just a little faster, that she could already feel her baby kicking against her abdomen and see it visibly expanding to allow her child space. She was scared but she was suddenly excited too.

"About that Booth... I've got my first appointment with my doctor next week, and I... I don't want to go alone..." Brennan wasn't quite sure how to ask what she wanted to ask.

"I'll come with you... If you want"

"Really? That would be great Booth" Brennan agreed sighing slightly in relief.

"I told you Temperance, anything you need, just ask" Booth knew it wasn't easy for her to ask for help, but he hoped she understood she didn't need to worry with him.

"Thanks Booth"

"Yeah, well I better get home... I'll see you for lunch tomorrow, I want to make sure you're eating" he reminded her, and she was grateful for the effort, even if it bugged her a little, being made to feel incapable and weak.

"Sure Booth" She crawled into bed almost the moment Booth left her apartment picking up the pregnancy book she'd bought a few days earlier flipping immediately to the prenatal development chapter. Although she knew many of the basics regarding foetus development it was somehow different when it was her own child growing inside her. Five weeks, it was amazing how much had happened in just five weeks. Her baby wasn't even a centimetre in length yet, but it's bones were already beginning to form. Brennan though about the tiny ossicles that had begun to form, remembered holding similar one's in her hands at work, her child already had a heart, it was already beating and in Brennan's darkened bedroom she imagined she could hear it beating, an echo of her own.

Larynx

Inner ear


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Sorry this one's taken so long it's a bit longer than usual, but i promise a few things happen... anyway read, enjoy and don't forget to review.

Chapter 7

When Temperance Brennan awoke the next morning she felt, in one word: awful. She'd become accustomed to the groggy early morning rush to towards the toilet bowl along with the stomach churning nausea that prevented her from eating or drinking anything other than water before work. On this morning though her whole body felt heavy, like it was composed entirely of mercury rather than mostly water. She didn't need to look at the clock to know it was five thirty in the morning, her body or rather her baby had decided that was when she would wake up for over a week. Brennan just hoped it was a symptom that like the morning sickness would not follow her into the second trimester of her pregnancy. After all Temperance Brennan was not fond of early mornings unless they involved breakfast in bed and or an early morning roll between the sheets, not that she felt up to either in her current condition.

Brennan couldn't remember ever having to exert so much effort to simply get out of bed. She barely reached the bathroom in time before vomiting into the white porcelain toilet bowl, glad that she had clipped her hair back the night before having learnt that while uncomfortable for sleeping it was preferable to spending her morning rinsing regurgitated fluids from her hair. She let herself collapse against the cold tiles not even able to hold up her own body weight. She knew she should call Cam and tell her she wouldn't be in that day, but she had no assistant for the week having finally run out of interns to trial. So instead Brennan dragged herself off the floor using the hand basin and wobbled into the shower. She told herself that her decision to go to work had nothing to do with the fact that Booth had promised to meet her for lunch, instead she told herself that she was going to work because she had no assistant to manage her duties and because it was only a bit of morning sickness, it couldn't last all day.

There were no new cases that morning when Brennan got to the Jeffersonian and for that she was thankful, she wasn't sure she could stomach the smell of rotting flesh that day. Instead she dragged out one of the many World War One veterans she was charged with identifying and got to work. Angela appeared in the lab she was working in slightly after ten.

"Hey Bren, how was your weekend, do anything exciting?" Angela asked wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as she did every Monday morning when she asked Brennan about her weekend.

"I went to the zoo with Booth and Parker yesterday" she told her friend circling the table that her remains were spread over.

"Oh, that must have been fun, that maternal instinct kicking in yet?" she asked leaning against the table comfortably.

"Parker isn't my child Ange" Brennan replied shortly leaning on the table for support as another wave of nausea hit.

"I know, but don't you feel a twinge of affection for the kid" Brennan smiled weakly, he was a good kid.

"Yeah I guess" Brennan admitted trying to fight the growing waves of nausea "Um Ange, I think I need to sit down a minute" she told her friend backing to the edge of the room and searching for a seat which she fell gratefully into.

"Uh Sweetie, you don't look so good, are you sure you're okay, maybe you should go home get some sleep, this isn't good for you and the baby, you need to take care of yourself." Angela worried coming over to her friend whose head was dipped between her knees in a desperate attempt to keep from vomiting.

"I'm fine Ange" Brennan argued, though her voice was barely a whisper.

"No you're not, I'm taking you home now and you're going to get some rest" Angela told her matter of factly.

"Fine" Brennan accepted easily and Angela knew that meant something was really wrong.

"And Sweetie, I think you should go to the doctor, I don't think this is normal" Angela told her gesturing to her friend's unnaturally pale features.

"I have an appointment for later in the week Ange, I'll talk to her about it then" Brennan promised standing dizzily from the seat and allowing herself to be led back to her lab and then out of the building by Angela.

BB-BB-BB-BB-BB

"Hey Cam, where's Bones?" Booth asked having run into his ex-girlfriend while looking for his partner at the Jeffersonian.

"Oh does this mean there's a case?" she asked a grin gracing her features, and it occurred to Booth that all squints were alike, just in it for the science. Sometimes he wondered if they realised that someone had lost their life so that they could have some work to do, but then his partner would say something and he'd realise that they felt each loss just as much as he did, sometimes even more.

"Nope, no case I just told Bones I'd meet her for lunch" Booth admitted knowing Cam would make him regret his words later.

"Oh?" she grinned, raising her eyebrows waiting for an explanation from him.

"She's my partner" Booth reminded, impatiently waiting for her to answer his own question.

"Whatever Seeley, Angela said she wasn't feeling well dropped her home a couple of hours ago" Cam explained looking down to the report in her hands.

"Oh right... well maybe I'll go check on her" Booth decided wandering away from Cam who had already forgotten about his presence in the lab. He tried not to worry as he drove the familiar route to Brennan's apartment. But what if something was wrong with the baby? Cam didn't know about the pregnancy yet only he and Angela knew of her condition so Cam wouldn't have known if Brennan's sudden illness had anything to do with the child she carried.

It took Brennan so long to answer the door that Booth was considering pulling out the key she'd given him to use in case of an emergency. When she finally opened the door the first thing Booth noticed was that she was certainly not wearing her usual work clothes in fact she was wearing grey sweatpants and a worn Midwestern hoodie that dwarfed her small frame. Her hair had been pulled back off her face but several chunks seemed to have fallen from their restraints.

"Booth" she said surprised "What are you doing here?" he was already inside and heading towards the living room when Brennan figured out who was at her door.

"Well I told you I'd come see you at lunch, you know make sure you were eating and it's a damn good thing I did otherwise I never would have known you were sick." Booth admonished as his partner collapsed next to him on the couch. "We're partners Bones, you're supposed to tell me when you get sick" Booth told her, his voice gentle but lecturing as if he was explaining to his son why it was rude to point fingers at people.

"Why?" Brennan asked weakly tilting her head back trying to fight yet another wave of nausea.

"So I can be here for you. Especially now Bones, you need to take care of yourself... and your baby" Booth reminded, as if she could actually forget.

"It's just a little nausea Booth, nothing to worry about, it's completely normal" Brennan defended, though she fiddled with the hem of her sweatshirt and refused to meet his eyes.

"If it was nothing you'd be at work right now" Booth argued, before Brennan had time to form a response she felt the bile rising in her throat and jumped from the couch rushing for the bathroom once again. Booth trailed slower behind her finding her on her knees grasping the toilet bowl. He knew she would hate him seeing her that way yet the urge to go to her and do what he could for her. IN two easy steps he was by her side kneeling beside her and although she turned to glare at him she didn't push him away. His hand rubbed her back soothingly while he used the other to pull her hair back from her face where it had fallen from her ponytail.

When Brennan was sure there was nothing left in her stomach she leant heavily against Booth suddenly unable to hold herself up any more. He leant back against the wall and pulled her onto his lap feeling her tense against him for a few moments before relaxing in to his embrace. He kept his hand on her back rubbing soothing circles into her heated skin. When her breathing seemed to return to normal he made to get up hoping to get a damp towel to press against her forehead but her fingers twisted into his shirt so he pulled her closer instead.

"Okay Bones, let's get you up" Booth finally whispered breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over them. She nodded but made no effort to move off of his lap "Up you get" Booth prompted his hands wrapping around her waist and pushing her up to her feet before pulling himself of the ground.

"You're lying down" he told her steering her back towards the couch, he knew she would object to being in bed in the middle of the day. Once she was lying down a couple of pillows under her head and a rug pulled over her Booth disappeared to the kitchen returning a few moments later with a glass of water and after making sure she'd had at least a couple of sips he disappeared back to the kitchen returning again with two pieces of dry brown toast. Brennan grimaced when he set them down on the coffee table.

"Just a little bit Bones" he begged giving her his charm smile and she caved easily picking up the least burnt of the two pieces. When the first piece and half of the second piece was gone she turned to Booth with pleading eyes and he gave her a slight nod, she'd already managed more than he'd expected. She finished off the glass of water and Booth crossed the room gently pulling the tie from her hair smoothing out the silky hair with his fingers.

"Get some sleep Bones, you look like you could use it"

"That's real nice Booth, kick a person when they're down" Booth grinned, she'd actually got the phrase right.

"You got it right" Booth told her surprised and she nodded cheekily and Booth wondered if she'd been practising. He shook his head, that woman was full of surprises. She snuggled down into the sofa cushions looking curiously to Booth.

"I'm not going anywhere" he said answering her unspoken question.

"Thanks Booth" she told him smiling weakly her arms hugging the blanket to her as if it were a teddy, and a part of Booth wished it was him she was cuddling into.

While she slept Booth called Cullen to tell him he wouldn't be back at work that afternoon and set about tidying up Brennan's apartment which although mostly clean was not up to its usual standard of perfection. Finally he filled up a new glass of water for her and settled down on the chair opposite her watching her calm face and the slight rise and fall of her chest. She'd kicked the blanket away and Booth didn't worry about pulling it back over her, the apartment was quite warm. Her hands clutched her stomach and drew Booth's eyes towards it. He wondered if her body was showing any visible signs of pregnancy yet, he certainly hadn't noticed any, though she would probably hurt him if she realised he was examining her so closely. He itched to press his hand against her stomach hoping to feel the kick of her child though he knew that would not happen for a long time. She looked peaceful and Booth wondered what she was dreaming about, surely it wasn't bones and murderers like his dreams so often were. He hoped her dreams weren't as horrible as his, hoped that his presence in her life didn't cause her pain in sleep too.

When her house phone rang suddenly he was glad he'd bought the cordless into the room and sat it on the table so that he could quickly accept the call and hopefully prevent his partner waking up prematurely.

"Hey how are you feeling? Do you want me to come over?" The voce on the other end of the phone asked before Booth had even spoken.

"Hey Ange" Booth said taking a glance at Brennan who was thankfully still asleep and heading down the hall away from her.

"Booth?" she asked and he could tell she was grinning, her mind concocting all sorts of reasons for Booth's presents at Brennan's place.

"Yeah" he agreed.

"How's Bren?"

"Sleeping" he informed the young artist in a whisper.

"Good, you want me to come over and stay with her a while?" Angela offered.

"Nah, go see Roxie, Bones will be fine. I'll call you after she wakes up and tell you how she's doing" Booth promised knowing that Angela would want to know the updated condition of her friend.

"Yeah okay, thanks Booth... and Booth I'm glad you're there, she's going to need you" Booth knew she was right.

"She's going to need both of us" Booth corrected

"Yeah you're right" Angela agreed smiling wondering if Brennan knew how lucky she was to have Booth or if she even realised she had him.

"Let me take this one, no sense both of us being tired tomorrow" Angela wondered if Booth was spending too much time with Brennan he was starting to sound just a little too logical.

"Not that I need to tell you, but take good care of her"

"Always" Booth agreed before hanging up knowing he would pay for that comment later but not particularly caring.

When Booth returned to the living room Brennan was sitting up the water glass in her hand she immediately noticed the phone in his hand.

"Did someone call?" she asked gesturing to the phone in his hand.

"Yeah Angela, she wanted to know how you are, if you wanted her to come over" he told her sitting next to her on the couch.

"Oh, what did you tell her?" she asked curious.

"Go see Roxie" he summarised, feeling himself redden at the thought of the rest of their conversation.

"Good" she agreed.

"You're feeling better" Booth noticed and although it wasn't a question Brennan nodded.

"You up for some real food?" he asked tapping her shoulder lightly with his hand.

She was silent for a moment as if assessing her condition silently "Yeah, that sounds good, nothing too heavy though"

"What some salad and maybe some grilled chicken?" he suggested.

"Sure, just give me a minute to wake up and I'll get started" Brennan told him.

"I don't think so" Booth argued laughing "I'm cooking tonight"

"I didn't know you could cook" Brennan told him surprised. Booth grinned but didn't elaborate on his cooking skills which were actually quite basic. He disappeared back to the kitchen and opened the fridge glad when it didn't explode and glad when he was able to find all the things he would need inside. When he'd spread everything out on the counter Brennan appeared sitting easily at the breakfast bar and watching each of his actions with wonder. She watched happily as he chopped and sliced lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado and capsicum. She noted that he remembered the way she liked her salad and adhered to the ratios she liked and although she usually liked fetta in her salad she was neither surprised nor disappointed when he didn't add any. She managed to eat all of her salad and most of her chicken and Booth was pleased by her effort because it had occurred to him that afternoon that Brennan was probably not going to have an easy pregnancy but that was okay he'd be there and so would Angela.

"You can go home Booth, I'll be all right" Brennan insisted when they'd finished eating, but Booth was already heading to the sink to do the dishes for her.

"I'm not leaving Bones" he said it with such conviction that she didn't argue, it was nice having him there.

"Fine, do what you like. I think I'm going to go have a bath" she told him accepting his presence without too much argument. Booth nodded glad her stubbornness had not made an appearance.

She stripped easily and poured bubble bath into the warm water letting the vanilla and coconut scent envelop the whole room and steam up the mirror before she climbed into the water. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done so little in a day and it felt nice, but it was really the presence of Booth that had her smiling when as she relaxed into the water. When the bubbles disappeared and the water cooled and she began to shiver she decided it was time to get out noticing when she pulled the plug that she had no towel or even a robe. She considered throwing her clothes back on or drying herself with a face washer or hand towel, but that was just ridiculous. She could just walk out the bathroom and grab a towel from the linen closet and maybe Booth wouldn't see but she'd drip water on the carpet.

"Booth" she called out "Could you bring me a towel?" she asked climbing out of the tub and shivering on the bath mat. She waited a few moments hearing shuffling outside "Booth?" she called again.

"Coming" he called back, and it was true he was standing just outside the door a white fluffy towel in his hand. Was there any way he could avoid going in there? He doubted it, so he gulped in a huge breath and pushed the door open. He exhaled all at once, trying not to stare but the expanse of creamy skin proved too much of a temptation. Brennan laughed seemingly unfazed by her nakedness.

"Geez Bones" he breathed averting his eyes and pressing the towel towards her trying not to think about her hard pink nipples and long toned legs.

She took the towel from him but didn't wrap it immediately around herself " I don't understand why you're so uptight about me being naked, it's not like I haven't seen you" Brennan said rubbing the towel over her legs and up to her stomach.

"It's not that Bones, it's just... wow" he trailed off his eyes wandering over her body as if they had a mind of their own.

"Are you trying to say that you find my body sexually attractive" Brennan asked her hips rolling towards him though he thought it was probably an unconscious movement.

"Yes, yes Bones you are a very attractive woman" he admitted pulling his eyes away from her again though he suddenly caught sight of her back reflected in the mirror. He couldn't help but look for a moment enjoying the sight of the gentle curve of her spine, finally seeing the skin he had touched so many times through the material of her clothes.

"Thankyou" she accepted grinning "You're quite attractive too"

"Yes well, do you think we could continue this conversation once you're dressed" he asked suddenly looking everywhere but at her. Finally she wrapped the towel around her tucking it in at the front and in the slightly primal part of his mind Booth imagined ripping the towel straight back off of her. Brennan must have seen a glint of his thoughts reflected in his eyes because suddenly her body was pressed against his her lips assaulting his with such force that he was pushed against the wall. He wanted to push her away, to tell her it was wrong but his body and his heart protested loudly, so he wrapped one arm around her waist pulling her even closer his tongue slipping into her mouth and his fingers twisting into her hair. He body was slightly damp from her bath and she smelt strongly of the vanilla and coconut bubble bath and then too soon she was pulling away.

The look of horror on her face told him it was all a huge mistake and he knew she was probably right yet he couldn't fight the feeling that kissing her was right, being with her was right.

"I – um, I shouldn't have done that" she admitted brushing past him into the hallway.

"Bones – Temperance, wait, we should talk about this"

"No, I can't Booth... not now" then she was gone, her bedroom door shut behind her. He stood in the hallway not sure what to do. Should he leave? He didn't want to, he didn't want to leave her alone, not in her state, maybe he should call Angela. He settled for sitting on the couch, at the very least he'd wait for her to get dressed, he couldn't leave things the way they were. When she reappeared she was in pyjamas pausing in the doorway.

"Do you think you could go Booth" she said it quietly her eyes not meeting his.

"We really should talk Temperance" he argued, though his voice was gentle.

"I just can't... not now" her shoulders slumped and Booth knew she needed this time.

"Okay Bones, but we do need to talk about this... soon" she nodded not sure what to tell him "And Bones, if you need anything you know you can call, me or Angela" Brennan nodded again suddenly approaching him.

"I'm sorry Booth" she pressed a hand to his shoulder the touch making him jump but he didn't flinch away.

"I know" he let his eyes say what he couldn't, they were strong, they would hold no matter what.

"I'll talk to you in the morning" he told her pulling himself off the couch and heading towards the door. He wanted to stay, he wanted to be there for her to help her figure things out but he knew he had to leave, to let her figure it out on her own. She wasn't impulsive, and he wouldn't change that otherwise she wouldn't be Bones, but he knew one thing they would be okay, nothing could change between them. They would still be there for one another, because they were partners.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Sorry guys, it's been a while but i've been writing a few Demily fics over at LJ, so if you're a Demily shipper as well go and take a look they're at the community demily_in_love. Anyway sorry about the end of the last chapter, i know it was a bit of a cliffy, what's she going to do? Well i won't keep you waiting too much longer... Keep reviewing and enjoy and i'll try and update a bit faster.

Chapter 8

"Hey Bones, you doing better today?" The phone had rung while she was in the middle of her second dash to the bathroom the next morning.

"I'm fine Booth" She sounded irritated, as if she'd hardly slept the night before.

"Well, we have a case. You gonna be okay to deal with that?" He knew she wouldn't admit it even if she wasn't.

"Yes Booth, I'm not an invalid"

"Okay, well I'll be at your place in a little bit, you are still at home right?"

"Yeah" He knew the danger that not talking about what had happened straight away was that they might never talk about it. He feared that things between them would become awkward, that their partnership and friendship would suffer. Because as much as he loved Temperance Brennan their friendship meant too much to him to risk, that was why he'd never made a move before.

"Temperance, we do have to have that talk, not right now, but we do need to talk" he didn't want to push her but she needed to know he wasn't going to drop it. His statement was met by a sharp intake of breath and then silence. When he realised she wasn't going to say anything else he muttered a quick goodbye before disconnecting the call.

Brennan glanced over at the clock, it didn't normally take him more than fifteen minutes to get to her place whether he left from home or the office. She knew she'd have to hurry to be ready when he got there but her body just didn't want to. She pulled on a pair of jeans that she knew were a little loose, some of her other pants were already starting to feel just a little more snug than she was used to and a sweater. She then had just enough time to dab on a little bit of makeup to hide the dark bags that had formed under her eyes and her slightly pale skin before Booth arrived cheerfully at her door. She groaned, how could he look so well rested when she'd spent the whole night tossing and turning trying to figure out what the kiss had meant and what that meant for them. She still had no idea.

She wanted to go into the la and ask Angela, Angela was good at that sort of stuff. But she knew that asking Angela would only prompt more questions than answers, most of them accompanied by squeals of delight and raised eyebrows. She didn't understand why people got so worked up about one kiss, albeit a very good kiss, but it was still just a kiss. Booth didn't mention it on the way to the crime scene and for that she was thankful, she was still trying to fight waves of nausea and the thought of going to a crime scene was not at all appealing, she could only hope that this particular body was not still covered in decomposing flesh.

Typically though, the body turned out to be one of the most gruesome ones they'd ever come across, with some sections of it burnt to a crisp, others having been gnawed upon by hungry animals and plenty of insect activity. Just as she was telling Booth that there wasn't much she could tell him because of the amount of flesh still present a uniformed officer called out that he'd found something else. Booth cut her off turning to the young uniform who explained that he had found what appeared to be human remains just outside the clearing. Brennan scoffed, having very little faith in the ability of law enforcement to tell the difference between human and animal remains when the flesh was no longer present. At a look from Booth though she headed over to investigate while he trailed behind with her bag as always. She confirmed a few moments later that the uniform officer had been correct, they had a second body which seemed to have been dumped a few months before the first and Brennan declared that she could not tell if the dumps were related until she got the bodies back to the lab.

"So" he began pulling up in the car park of the Jeffersonian, she knew what was coming and cut him off.

"Meet me at my place tonight, and we can talk" she wasn't sure what she was going to say but she knew he wouldn't let up until they'd talked, besides she still had the whole afternoon to decide what she wanted. Though it probably wouldn't do much good, she simply had no idea.

"You want me to bring Thai?" she thought for a moment, wondering if her body could handle it, she decided she could and nodded.

"Okay, well I'll see you tonight. If you find anything on the body let me know" Brennan nodded before climbing out of the car and smiling weakly.

BB-BB-BB-BB-BB

"Hey Sweetie, you're late getting in. You feeling better?" Brennan nodded Angela having fallen instep beside her as she headed for her office.

"So, how was your evening with Booth?" Angela asked smirking as she followed her friend into her office and flopped onto her couch while Brennan put her jacket and purse away.

"Fine" She picked up a report from her desk and began flipping through it while pacing the room.

"Right, then Sweetie why don't you stand still for a moment and look at me when you say that"

Brennan stopped and turned to Angela the report held loosely in her hands "It was fine" she reiterated.

"I still don't believe you. Just tell me what happened Bren. I worry about you"

"I know Ange, but it's nothing. It's under control" Truthfully Brennan had no idea whether it was under control, no idea what Booth was thinking, or why she'd kissed him.

"Sweetie I know you, if it was nothing you wouldn't be fiddling. You always fiddle when something's going on" Did she? She'd never noticed that, but she supposed it was probably true.

"We kissed okay" Brennan admitted falling onto the couch next to Angela and crossing one leg over the other her foot bouncing up and down, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Angela.

"But that's a good thing" Angela wasn't really confused by her friend's reaction, she wished she was surprised. She'd always known that it was just a matter of time until something happened between the two partners and she'd guessed a long time ago that it would be her left explaining to Brennan what that meant. She'd always known that anything happening with Booth would freak her out, she'd never been in love before, she didn't believe in love.

"How? He's my partner, he always said there were some people that you're not supposed to have sex with, he was talking about us"

"But Sweetie you didn't have sex with Booth, did you?" Angela had to laugh, her friend's mind worked too quickly sometimes and she'd forget to explain her train of thought to those of the team who didn't have genius IQ's.

"No"

"But you wanted to" Angela realised and Brennan nodded "What about him?"

"I don't know Ange, we haven't talked yet. I just, I don't know what it all means, I need some time and he doesn't understand, he just wants to talk about it all"

"Then Sweetie, talk. Talk about it with me first, so you know what you want to say. Look at the facts, same as always" Angela had, had plenty of time to decide how to make Brennan see the truth, she'd decided that the only way to make her see was using what she knew. Logic.

"Okay Ange, what are the facts?" she asked sounding relieved.

"Well first off are you attracted to Booth?"

"Yes" Brennan admitted "He's an ideal sexual partner"

Angela smiled, Brennan would never change "Okay, you're friends, which is an important basis for a long lasting relationship and I assume that's what we would be talking about"

"I don't know Ange. I've been thinking and I guess there's three possibilities. First off we pretend like this never happened." Angela nodded encouraging Brennan to continue "Second, we start sleeping together, but that's all"

"So friends with benefits?" Angela asked.

"I don't know what that means"

Angela smiled, of course not "It means you're friends who occasionally sleep together, and Bren, just for the record that never works"

"Okay, third option, we begin a relationship, but if we do that then we won't be able to work together anymore"

Angela decided it was time for a new tactic "What does your heart tell you Bren?"

"My heart? That's not going to help, if I choose with my heart I'll just get hurt"

"Maybe, but you won't have any regrets"

"Just tell me, it's part of the evidence"

"Fine, my heart tells me... it tells me that I couldn't live without Booth in my life, just like I would be lost without you" Brennan admitted, her voice catching.

"No Bren, not the same"

"I don't understand"

"What makes a friendship different from a romantic relationship?" Angela asked, hoping to demonstrate to Brennan the difference between her relationship with Angela and Booth.

"Sex" Brennan replied quickly, and Angela laughed.

"And how do we choose our sexual partners?"

"It's complicated Ange, but I guess it's just a case of picking out the best breeder." Angela could see a huge gap in Brennan's explanation, namely choosing a partner based on breeding potential only worked in a heterosexual relationship. She wondered how Brennan would explain her attraction to Roxie, but one thing at a time.

"Right, and you said Booth was a very good breeder and you're friends with him. So you have all the bases for a lasting romantic relationship with Booth. What's holding you back?"

Brennan wasn't sure what to say, with the evidence laid out like that it all seemed so logical, and Brennan liked logic. Angela was right, she should be jumping at the opportunity, she wasn't sure why she was holding back.

"I don't know" Angela nodded.

"I suggest you think about that Sweetie" Angela patted a hand to Brennan's bare knee before standing up and heading from her office, Brennan needed some space. If she wanted her she knew where to find her.

"Thanks Ange" Brennan's eyes were focussed on the carpet when she spoke, but Angela knew it was just because she was thinking, her attention already on the problem at hand.

"If you want to talk more I'll be in my office" Brennan nodded and Angela hoped she'd heard "And Bren, don't run away just because it's scary" Angela knew Temperance Brennan, and she knew that she didn't know how to deal with her emotions. She knew that Brennan's instinct was for self-preservation and that she would run rather than be hurt, not that Booth would ever hurt her. But Angela knew just how hard it was to risk a friendship for something more, especially with someone you worked with. Angela hoped that Brennan had the courage to risk it all for the chance at something better.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Sorry, had this finished for a few days and just realised hadn't actually posted it, anyway, enjoy and don't forget to leave lots of feedback.

Chapter 9

She knew she was pacing but she couldn't help it, Booth would be there soon and he'd want to know her decision. It had only been while she was grabbing out some plates for their Thai, more for something to do than because they would use them. She realised that in all her thinking and decision making that afternoon she hadn't once thought about what Booth wanted. She wanted to call Angela and ask her but there simply wasn't time, Booth would be there any moment. She wondered if she was a bad person, for being so self centred, how could Booth want to be with her if she couldn't even consider his feelings about their relationship.

But suddenly he was knocking at the door, her doorman always let him straight up. When she opened the door he had a huge box of Thai food and she was sure they couldn't possibly eat it all, even though she suddenly realised she was starving.

"Hey Bones" he greeted, showing none of the discomfort she was feeling. He'd decided he'd let the pace be up to her, he wouldn't leave until they'd talked but how long that took would be up to her.

"You want to eat first?" he asked leaving the rest of his question unspoken.

"I'm starving Booth" The tone of her voice told him it was true and he nodded following her straight into the living room. When Booth passed her the fried rice she noticed that he wasn't as immune to the tension between them as she'd thought, it seemed that suddenly the whole room was heavy with it like a dense snowstorm. Maybe they should have that talk sooner rather than later. She ate quickly until her initial starvation had disappeared before setting her chopsticks and the container down on the coffee table. Booth noticed and mimicked her.

"You're ready to talk?" it was more of a statement than a question but she answered anyway.

"I think so" he nodded for her to continue knowing that whatever she decided he would still be there because they were the centre and the centre must hold.

"We kissed"

"Yes we did" Booth agreed, trying not to smile "How do you feel about that?"

"I hate psychology" she replied ignoring his question.

"I know" Booth agreed chuckling slightly. He knew she was putting off the inevitable, because they were both nervous, they knew that her decision would likely change everything between them, no matter what she had decided.

"It was a good kiss, very stimulating" she added grinning slightly.

"Definitely" Booth agreed "But a kiss is just a kiss right?" He couldn't help but smile wryly.

"That's only logical Booth, I don't know why needed to say that. It doesn't even make sense, what else could a kiss be?"

"Nothing Bones, don't worry about it"

"Okay" she furrowed her brow trying to figure out what he was talking about but seeing nothing in his eyes she continued "I've been thinking about what happened, Angela helped me look at the evidence and that helped me come to some conclusions." Booth groaned, if Angela knew then everybody would, but he didn't have time to worry about that, he needed to know what she'd decided.

"You're my friend" Brennan told him and he could guess where she was heading, 'we're friends, but I don't want to risk that in case things don't work out'.

"Angela made me understand that there's not a lot of difference between a friendship and a romantic relationship, a lot of the same qualities are important. She said that if we had a romantic relationship nothing would really change, because we're already such good friends. She also said that I should stop being scared, because you won't hurt me" Booth had been trying not to listen too closely, hoping that it would lessen the sting of rejection, so it took a few moments for Booth to comprehend what she was saying, or not saying more specifically.

"She's right. I won't hurt you" Brennan smiled then.

"I know, I trust you"

He knew he could potentially lose her with what he was about to say, but he had to say it "Are you trying to tell me that you'd like for us to start a relationship?"

Brennan was silent for a long time, Booth could almost feel her shrinking away from him "Yes" she finally answered seriously, no hint of emotion in her voice. Booth knew they were starting down a difficult path, how difficult he was sure they would find out soon. He knew the baby would complicate things, but he didn't care, he would love that child as if it was his, and for the chance to stand by while she carried and raised that child with his help, he would sacrifice almost anything.

"Okay, well maybe we could finish eating now, because I'm still kind of hungry" Booth said casually a wide grin spreading across his face. Brennan smiled back weakly when he picked up his container again and began to eat. Once again she mimicked him, wondering what precisely had just happened, because it seemed that nothing had changed between them.

"What about you?" Booth froze, the chopsticks half way to his mouth.

"What?"

"What do you want? You never said" He'd always thought Brennan knew what he wanted, knew that he would do anything for her, that he cared more for her than himself. He supposed he should have told her, made sure she knew.

"I want this, I want you Temperance. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to help raise your child, and maybe even have one of our own" If they were doing this he wanted her to know from the very start where he stood, what he hoped could happen.

"I don't know if I can do that Booth" She seemed suddenly unsure of herself as if hearing it all out loud was too much and it probably was.

Booth smiled though, he'd expected it, despite her strength Brennan was incredibly insecure in her emotions and her ability to form connections.

"You can try, I can't ask more than that" His voice was gentle and he reached out to caress her cheek softly with the pad of his thumb "Besides, I have faith in you, in us. You know that don't you" She nodded leaning into his touch.

"I'm no good at relationships though" Suddenly there were tears rolling down her cheeks and Booth dropped his food back on the coffee table before taking hers too and wrapping his arms around her shoulders until she relaxed against his chest.

"Hey" he whispered "We've done okay haven't we? Relationships aren't easy for anyone" he soothed his hand rubbing up and down her back while she clung to him as if her life depended on it.

When she'd calmed down Booth began speaking again "Look Bones, before we start this I think we need to decide a few ground rules, because I know you like structure" she smiled weakly, he really was thoughtful.

Brennan nodded "Okay, go ahead"

"Right, well you have to agree too, so at the moment these are just ideas. If you don't agree with me, or you've got anything to add then go for it. First off, I would like for us to be able to talk about our problems, calmly and rationally, no breaking into my apartment and storming into my bathroom" Brennan laughed, but agreed they needed to be able to talk because there would undoubtedly be problems between them, there had been in the past and she didn't expect that to change.

"Second, I think we need to agree to disagree, to form compromises. Because we're both stubborn and neither of us will back down without a fight and I would like to avoid that, so Bones, we both back down and walk away until we can compromise" Brennan nodded, she wasn't sure about that one but Booth explained that sometimes things would go her way, sometimes his, just as always and that whatever they decided, it would be done together and eventually she agreed.

"Those are really the two main ones, I think we can sort everything else out as we go" Booth told her satisfied with their progress.

"Actually Booth, I have something to add" he was surprised but he nodded easily "I think we need to agree to compartmentalise, we keep work and personal separate, whatever's happening with a case shouldn't affect us at home, and whatever's happening at home won't affect work" Booth knew that what she was asking was harder than she realised and he wondered if she realised she'd referred to their relationship as 'home'. But he understood the basic premise, if there was something they disagreed about at work it wouldn't come home with them.

"Bones, do you think we can stop talking now?" Booth asked "Because I would really like to try that kissing thing again"

Brennan smiled "I wouldn't be opposed to that" Booth was in no rush though, his lips slowly descending towards her, His breath was warm on her lips and his hand had reached out for hers, the other resting on her shoulder. The kiss was slow and exploratory and Brennan couldn't remember when she'd ever been kissed so thoroughly. Their tongues explored and duelled for dominance, they nipped and sucked at each other's lips. Their fingers caressed each other innocently, their touch wasn't sexual, but reassuring, safe but still new. Nobody had ever kissed Brennan and not asked her to offer her body in return.

It was Booth who pulled away first to find Brennan smiling at him, he reached up a hand caressing her reddened lips before leaning back on the couch and inviting her to lean into his chest. Neither of them spoke for a long time, but their bodies never stopped talking a silent conversation continuing between them even in her almost silent apartment. The only sound was the soft jazz music that Brennan had playing in the background, Booth let the music wash over him and the feel of her in his arms of her fingers trailing back and forth over his chest.

He was on the verge of falling into a peaceful slumber when Brennan spoke, so quietly that he almost missed it "Will you stay?"

He hadn't expected that, he hadn't gone to her apartment expecting sex, that night or ever. But the tone of her voice told him that she wasn't thinking about sex either and the knowledge that sex would come eventually gave him the strength he needed to wait. He would wait as long as she wanted and in the mean time he would certainly prefer to sleep next to her than alone in his own bed.

"Of course" he agreed without hesitating, glad that she already trusted him enough to let him see her so vulnerable. She smiled shyly, his unconditional acceptance of everything about her was something she'd never experienced with a man before.

It wasn't late but all either of them could think about was climbing into bed and falling into a peaceful sleep, they both felt suddenly emotionally drained, but it was Brennan who eventually made the first move. Suddenly she pushed herself up and told him she was going to get changed. She stood awkwardly in the centre of the living room, suddenly unsure she didn't want to be parted from Booth but she knew it was hard for him not to touch her and that was not what either of them wanted that night. She knew that he wouldn't be able to stand watching her get changed but she wasn't quite sure how to excuse herself, but as usual Booth came to her rescue.

"Okay, I'll just put these leftovers in the fridge for you" he said gesturing to the remains of their meal still on the coffee table. She smiled, how could Booth always know what she needed, he smiled back. For a moment they seemed frozen until suddenly the music that had been playing softly stopped and the whole apartment was left in silence and they remembered where they were and Brennan disappeared into the bedroom.

When she returned Booth's breath hitched at the sight of her in a pair of tiny green cotton shorts and a white singlet. He'd expected an awkward moment as they headed towards the bed and danced around each other trying to get comfortable. But he'd underestimated them because upon exiting the bedroom Brennan explained she wanted a glass of water but urged Booth to go on without her. He was given a few minutes to examine her bedroom while he waited for her, first taking in the huge king size bed and burgundy comforter and then the huge walk-in closet where he caught glimpses of her favourite skirts and boots. Most of the clothes he'd seen before but there were a few he hadn't, but hoped to see. There were dresses in every colour and style and he wanted to see her in all of them.

He'd just climbed into the huge bed snuggling into the plush pillows, he felt as if he was in a hotel. He'd used his detective skills to conclude that she usually slept on the side of the bed furthest from the door, as there was a novel and a notebook and pen sitting on that side of the bed. He guessed that she liked to read in bed and occasionally write when inspiration struck late at night, he filed these facts away along with everything else he'd come to know about the enigma that was Temperance Brennan.

When she came in they couldn't help but grin at each other, she noted how right Booth looked surrounded by her ridiculously expensive bedding, he raised his eyebrows seeming to realised what she was thinking.

"You coming Bones?" It was then she noticed that she was still standing frozen in the doorway, as if she was an observer in her own life. She nodded and suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable, approached the bed. She had to remind herself that this was her apartment, her bed, and it was Booth, not some man that she barely knew, but her partner and friend. He sensed her unease and patted his hand on the space next to him, and finally it was just Booth and she crawled in next to him. She didn't flinch away when he wrapped his arm around her but snuggled closer to him and she realised it felt good to have someone's arms around her. Someone who knew her and who she trusted, someone who she knew cared about her and wouldn't leave just because things got hard. She'd never slept next to a man she hadn't had sex with, and the fact that someone was willing to hold her and be there for her without sex as a precursor meant more than anything else to her. She was damaged goods but Seeley Booth didn't care.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: I've had this done for a couple of days but it wouldn't let me upload, so here we go... Thanks for all the reviews keep them coming :)

Chapter 10

The doctor assured Brennan that her morning sickness was perfectly normal, even the severity of it, Booth had been agitated about that ever since he found out and he knew Angela was too. Like everyone else he'd assumed Booth was more than a work partner and naturally the father, neither could quite explain the situation to the doctor who looked at them strangely while they tried.

"Booth isn't the biological father but he is going to act as the father" The doctor didn't seem to understand that although the couple had known each other for over four years they had only recently become a couple, so recently in fact that no one other than them knew about it. It had only been that morning that Brennan had woken with Booth in her bed for the first time holding her tightly while she slept his hand resting alongside hers on her abdomen. It was the first morning she'd had someone to hold her hair when she dashed to the bathroom and the first morning she'd had someone to look out for her and she found she sort of liked it.

Her appointment had been early so they'd gone straight there from her apartment Booth still in his clothes from the day before. She'd almost but not quite forgotten her first doctor's appointment with the excitement and stress of the last few days and she was glad because she knew that obsessing about it would have been much worse.

The doctor was very competent and seemed to understand Brennan immediately, or maybe her GP had just sent her a note about the unusual woman beforehand. She seemed to realise that Brennan liked dealing in facts and probabilities and explained the causes of the changes Brennan would experience using terms that Booth mostly didn't understand but from Brennan's posture he knew that she did and that it seemed to be good news to her. She gave Brennan a list of websites and books, even a few pamphlets, sensing that the woman would insist on corroborating whatever was said to her. Booth did manage to hear and understand the doctor telling Brennan that morning sickness was a good sign, that studies showed she was more likely to have a healthy baby if she experienced morning sickness, Brennan of course insisted on knowing the name of the study so she could look it up. Booth smiled, she would never change and he wouldn't want her to.

All through the appointment her hand rested gently in his, even when the doctor insisted on a quick physical exam to make sure everything was running smoothly. Even though the doctor indicated that Booth should wait outside Brennan insisted he stay, he'd listened to her answers to all the strange questions she'd just asked why would she make him leave during the physical exam? Surely the questions had been much more personal than the doctor examining her body.

"Well Doctor Brennan, you look to be perfectly healthy so long as you keep doing what you're doing, make sure you're eating right, no alcohol or smoking you should have a healthy baby in the next thirty two weeks" Brennan thanked the doctor and after she was reminded to make sure she had the rest of her appointments scheduled, they were headed to the Jeffersonian.

When they pulled up he wanted to lean over and kiss her and never let go, instead he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and pulled her close for an awkward hug in the vehicle. He was surprised when she pulled him back against her and planted a searing kiss on his lips that had him wanting to turn the SUV around and go back to his place, hell forget that, the nearest empty parking lot would do.

"Sorry, just wanted to make sure" she offered by way of explanation when she pulled away.

"By all means" he agreed smiling "Anytime"

"Booth" she groaned before climbing out of the SUV a huge smile on her face, she was with Booth and her baby would likely be born healthy, life was pretty good.

"Hey Sweetie, how was your appointment?" Angela asked wandering into Brennan's office about twenty minutes later. The anthropologist was sitting on the sofa flicking through pamphlets and didn't even look up as she relayed what the doctor had told her.

"That's good" Angela concluded picking up one of the booklets Brennan had placed into three piles on the couch. As far as she could tell there was a pile that she had read, one that she hadn't and a pile for one's she planned to read later or look into more thoroughly. She shook her head wondering when her friend would realise that not everything could be categorised.

"So Sweetie, I thought maybe we could go shopping this weekend. You know, start getting some of the stuff for the baby"

"Sure" Brennan agreed. Angela was perplexed, she'd expected some sort of resistance, maybe all the hormones were having an effect she thought, or maybe Brennan should go back to the doctor just to make sure.

"Did you hear what I said Sweetie?"

"Yes, you want to come shopping with me to look for things that the baby will need, I already agreed that you could come with me, why are you so surprised?"

"I just thought you'd argue with me about there being plenty of time to do shopping later" Angela explained, the anthropologist was stubborn, but she was also smart enough to back up any argument she with a whole plethora of scientific and anthropological jargon and Angela had been prepared for that.

"No, I think it's a good idea to start getting things early, especially the things that are gender neutral. After all there are lots of things I will need and I don't want to be doing them all at the last minute when there's a lot of pressure on my back and ankles caused by the baby's growth, it could cause irreversible damage to my lumbar vertebrae and taluses" Angela could only assume that Brennan was talking about her spine and ankles.

"Okay Sweetie, I understand, that sounds very logical" Angela agreed.

"I'm always logical" Brennan reminded.

Angela wanted to remind Brennan of several times when she had not used logic but refrained "Yeah, just decide what exactly you'd like to look at on the weekend because I know you hate shopping aimlessly" Brennan wondered if she should tell Angela about the new development in her relationship with Booth, but they hadn't talked about that the previous night and although she knew Angela would be upset that she hadn't told her she decided she'd better ask Booth first.

Angela lingered in her doorway for longer than necessary, but Brennan ignored her knowing that whatever the artist wanted to say but wasn't, was probably better left that way. When she did eventually leave Brennan pulled out her cell and pressed number one on her speed dial.

"Are we going to keep this quiet?" she asked not even waiting to hear Booth's greeting.

"What?" he asked trying to catch up with his partner's abnormally talented brain.

"Are we going to tell people about us or keep it to ourselves?" she clarified, careful not to put any definitive labels on what was or was not happening between them.

"I don't mind, I want everybody to know, but if you want to keep it quiet for a little while I'll understand" he'd waited four years to have her, he was hardly going to argue if she wanted to keep their relationship on the down low, of course everybody would find out eventually.

"I don't know" she admitted but her mind was working quickly through the problem "I think I'd like Angela to know, but I don't want to go telling everyone just yet, I don't want to hide it either" she decided, Booth was special and she wanted everyone to know that they meant something to each other but she didn't want to make it a point of telling them, let them figure it out.

"So you want to be discreet?" he asked, thinking it was ironic that when it was him and Cam in the same position Brennan had complained about him hiding his relationship and now she wanted to do the same thing.

"No, not the way you define discreet" she obviously remembered too "If someone asks we tell them, otherwise let them draw their own conclusions. Also Booth, I'd like to keep things professional in the office" Booth agreed easily though he wasn't sure what exactly Brennan would define as professional and he didn't care so long as he got to be very personal with her outside of work.

"Booth and I are dating" Brennan declared racing into Angela's office a few minutes later "Well actually that's not true, we haven't been on a date so we can't really be dating... But we're together... I think"

"Woah, slow down Sweetie" Angela said laughing slightly, hoping she'd made out and correctly interpreted what Brennan was saying "What about Booth?"

"We talked last night, and then we kissed and he stayed the night and we decided that we're going to be more than friends, because of what you said the other day" Brennan explained more slowly sinking into one of the chairs in her friend's office.

"That's good, right?" Angela asked trying to read the anthropologist's behaviour which at that moment was completely out of character and as such completely unreadable.

"Yes" Brennan agreed a smile suddenly appearing on her face.

"So did you guys finally have sex" Angela asked raising her eyebrows suggestively "Was he any good? Wait, what am I saying, of course he was"

"We didn't" Brennan interjected.

"I thought you said he stayed the night" Angela was confused.

"He did, but my libido is almost non-existent right now, it's quite normal during the first trimester of pregnancy" Brennan explained, though secretly she hoped that it didn't last because she was certainly anticipating a very pleasant first time with Booth and lots of subsequent times before the baby was born because after that everything would be different.

"Aaw, she's already causing problems with Mummy and Daddy's sex life" Angela cooed her fingers reaching towards Brennan abdomen even though there was pretty much no visible evidence of the child growing inside her.

"We'd don't know the baby's a she Angela, I've already told you it could be a boy. Parker's hoping it's a boy" she added smiling "And Booth is not the father" Brennan argued.

"For all intents and purposes he is, that baby might not share his DNA but it's his" Brennan knew what Angela was saying was true, but it didn't make sense to her scientific brain so she tried to ignore it.

"By the way, Sweetie, I'm really happy for you, and Booth, this has been a long time coming" Brennan smiled, it certainly had.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Okay, so having written this chapter i'm not sure where i'm going after this so it might be a while til i update, i promise to finish it though. So if anyone has any ideas i'd love to hear them :) Enjoy anyway and leave some reviews.

Chapter 11

"Hey Bren" Angela greeted when her friend opened the door early on Saturday morning only to find that it was not Brennan but Booth who was standing on the other side.

"Hey Angela, don't say anything" Booth warned "She's just getting ready, you want a coffee or something?" Angela grinned, Booth was certainly very comfortable in Brennan's apartment.

"Sure" she agreed, what could it hurt, of course he was probably hoping it would distract her from teasing him about his presence in Brennan's apartment on a Saturday morning, especially as he was wearing nothing more than boxers and an undershirt.

"So you spent the night again?" Angela asked, smirking while she watched Booth manoeuvre around Brennan's kitchen as if it were his own.

"Ange!" Booth groaned "I thought I told you we were not talking about that"

"I'll just ask Bren" Angela told him, and Booth knew she would.

"Fine" He trusted Brennan to tell Angela only what she needed to know, all unnecessary details to a minimum. He handed Angela her coffee "I'm just going to go check on Bones" he decided gesturing towards the bedroom where Angela assumed Brennan was getting ready.

"Okay Stud" Angela winked and Booth felt himself blushing, images from the previous night returning to his mind. It had been their first night together and it had been everything he'd hoped for and more and he couldn't wait to do it all over again.

He considered knocking before entering her bedroom but decided against it and simply pushed the door open gently throwing Brennan a wide smile as he entered and pulled the door shut behind him.

"Angela's here" he announced before crossing the room and planting a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Yeah, I'll be ready in just a second" As far as Booth was concerned she looked ready then, but she obviously disagreed.

"Okay, we on for dinner tonight?"

"Of course" Brennan affirmed smiling brightly, their eyes meeting in the reflection of her mirror.

"I kind of wish I didn't have to wait that long, because right now Temperance all I'm thinking about is taking you back to bed"

"Booth, it's not practical to spend a whole day in bed, how would anything get done?" Brennan seemed to miss the meaning of his comment and Booth laughed.

"Don't worry about it Bones" By then Brennan was ready and after stealing another quick kiss they headed back to the living room Booth's mind on what he would rather be doing at that moment. He imagined what a lazy weekend day would be like with Brennan. After waking up next to each other they would cuddle until she complained that they needed to get up, he'd plead for just a few more minutes and she'd give in. They'd share a late and lazy breakfast and if they were at his place they'd watch some tv if they were at hers they'd laze around the house and talk. They'd always be touching, they wouldn't even be aware of it. He thought that just maybe that would be his perfect day.

He'd never factored a baby into that, or a pregnancy. He'd assumed that if there was a baby then it would not come until after they had shared many a lazy weekend alone, but fate it seemed had other plans. Instead he'd woken again that morning to Brennan dragging herself out of bed much too early and heading for the bathroom. He'd picked up her robe and followed, draping it over her naked shoulders while she vomited into the toilet bowl. It wasn't how he'd expected the morning after to go when he imagined it, but nothing was ever perfect, even if the previous night had been as close to perfect as any night could have been. He smiled and didn't care if Angela saw it or not, because he wanted the whole world to know that Temperance Brennan made him happy, very happy. Mostly though her just wanted her to know, and he would happily spend his whole life trying to prove it to her if he had to and it was going to start that night he had decided.

"Hey Sweetie" Angela greeted "I see you had a nice night" she smirked again and Booth wondered how long she'd be reminding him of that morning.

"Yes I did" Brennan replied searching around the room for her purse and keys "But I don't see what that has to do with anything" Angela and Booth shared a look, most of the time they let those types of comments go unnoticed because Brennan never understood when they tried to explain.

"Your keys are over by the door" Booth supplied a moment later noticing Brennan now had her purse but was still searching for her keys.

"Thanks" Angela smiled watching the pair interact, already they seemed so domestic "Okay, let me just grab my list" Brennan directed to Angela before heading back to the bedroom and returning a few moments later.

"She has a list" Angela stated exasperated, Booth grinned. Of course she had a list, Angela wished for once she could just let it all go and relax a little, ignore the part of her that wanted to plan everything and go with the flow. Of course it seemed she'd done just that the night before, Angela noted with a slight smirk, the pair hadn't cleaned up quite as well as they thought and Angela caught sight of a black lacy garment poking out from under Brennan's sofa. Oh well, she'd hear about it all very soon, she'd make sure of it.

"Okay Booth, we're going to get going" Brennan told him unnecessarily, I'll see you tonight, when you leave just make sure you lock up" Booth nodded, she didn't feel strange about leaving him alone in her house, though he did feel a little odd about being there without her, but only a little. Though really he felt strange because he already had a key to her apartment and that was unusual in a relationship, to have a key so early. Suddenly he wasn't sure when he was and wasn't supposed to use it, he'd only really had it for emergencies, maybe they'd have to talk about that later.

Angela headed for the door after waving goodbye to Booth and Brennan followed a few steps behind, until Booth grabbed her, his lips grazing her ear as he pulled her into a tight hug "You didn't say goodbye" she didn't know what to do, did she kiss him? And if so on the cheek or lips? Her usual self assurance had disappeared and she reminded herself that it was because it was different, it was Booth, she cared about him. Usually she would take a chance, if she did something wrong she'd move onto someone else, it didn't really matter, but with Booth it did, she didn't want to do the wrong thing. He sensed her indecision and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips "You can touch me you know. Have fun, I'll see you tonight Bones" he expected her to turn away then but she pressed her lips quickly to his mimicking his earlier kiss before turning around. They had both forgotten about Angela who stood in the doorway grinning widely.

"You two are just so cute"

"Angela" Booth warned.

"Bye Booth" she said grinning and Brennan followed her out throwing a quick glance back to Booth who had settled comfortably onto the couch.

BB-BB-BB-BB-BB

"So you finally had sex with Booth? How was it?" Angela asked as they wandered around the baby store Brennan occasionally pointing out cribs and strollers that she thought looked good.

"I didn't tell you that" Brennan replied bending slightly to look at a particularly nice wooden crib.

"You didn't have to Sweetie, you look happy, both of you. I can tell these things"

"You're right, we did have sex" Brennan admitted moving onto another crib "I like this one" she added, it was a stained oak crib, the sides of which could be lowered or removed so that it could be turned into a bed later. Angela had to agree, it was plain, but still quite nice.

"Yeah, I do too. But Sweetie, we were talking about Booth, he was good right?" Brennan thought back to the night before, Booth's hands trailing across her body, his fingers in her hair, his tongue on her tender breasts. He'd lavished attention on her stomach, kissing and licking it. He'd taken his time with everything, lavishing more attention on her than any man ever had before. Neither of them had ever wanted it to end, but the first time had been over far too quick for either of them, four and a half years of sexual tension and build up left them both disappointed. But round two had been better, and it didn't matter that he wasn't as big as some of the other men she'd been with. It didn't matter that he couldn't do some of the things Sully had been able to because in every touch she could feel the love that he felt for her. Every touch told her she was cherished.

In the end the only information she gave Angela was "We broke the laws of physics" Angela didn't know exactly what that meant but the smile on Brennan's face told her that it was good.

"I'm happy for you Bren, you deserve this"

"No I don't"

"What? Sweetie, you should never doubt that, you've worked hard, everyone deserves to be happy, and if you get that chance to be with someone who is special to you then you have to take it and never let go, because we're social, we're not supposed to be alone" Angela could feel tears running down her cheeks because she didn't know how to convince Brennan what a wonderful and special woman she was and because she knew that if she ever got the chance she would hurt the people that made her best friend feel worthless.

"Humans are social creatures, in fact most animals are also, but Angela, I'm no good with people, you know that, I'm just, I don't think I'm supposed to be loved" Angela pulled Brennan towards a quiet part of the store, watching as tears flowed freely down her friends face, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen Brennan cry.

"Look Sweetie, everyone is supposed to be loved, from birth, we are programmed to have the unconditional love of our parents, most of us are lucky enough to find friends who love us and a few people like you find someone who will love you unconditionally even without that blood bond. And Sweetie you tell me you don't believe in God, so you can't tell me what God planned for you, so nothing is predetermined. The choices made by millions of people over millions of years brought you and Booth together, you could just as easily have never met. You might have fallen in love with someone else, and so might he, and whether you deserve this or not, you have it and if you don't embrace it then you don't deserve it." Angela paused to catch her breath, and Brennan looked like she was about to say something but Angela wasn't finished.

"I know you're scared Bren, I know. Everything's happening so fast, first this baby and now Booth, you've got a lot going on, but Booth will be there for you and I'll be here for you and I think you're going to find something great, in Booth and in that baby, so don't push it away, it's time to start letting life happen Sweetie, not everyone is going to leave you"

"I don't think I could do it without him Ange. I think if Booth died, I might die too, I need him, now more than ever." Her admission was quiet, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"He won't leave you, he needs you as much as you need him. You gonna be all right?" Brennan smiled weakly.

"Yeah, sorry, pregnancy affects a woman's hormones, not even I can control that"

"You don't have to" Angela promised, rubbing her hand across Brennan's shoulder while she wiped the tears from her cheeks and forced her breathing back to normal.

"Okay, I think I'm going to get that crib" Brennan decided her voice still slightly uneven.

"Okay, what else is on that list of yours?" Angela asked, knowing that Brennan hated showing weakness and that her minor breakdown would never be mentioned again.

"A stroller, change table, maybe some gender neutral blankets and bibs, I'm also going to need a car seat" Angela nodded, it certainly wasn't the most interesting shopping trip she'd been on, she would of course prefer shopping for baby clothes and toys but it was all necessary.

"So strollers are over there, shall we start with those?" Angela suggested. Brennan wanted a stroller that could be used for the maximum amount of time, and also one that was quite sturdy and easy to fold up when needed. When they finally chose a navy stroller that could be converted into several different positions. On the way to the area containing car seats Angela spotted the clothes section and immediately dragged Brennan over.

"Oh Sweetie, look at these, they're gorgeous" Angela was thumbing through dozens of outfits, almost all of which were pink, though there were a few purple ones sprinkled through them.

"I told you Ange, we don't know if it's a boy of a girl, those are all girl's clothes" Brennan protested.

"It's going to be a girl Bren, I told you that. I can feel it"

"That's not scientific Ange"

"I know, but just wait and see, it will be a girl" Truthfully Brennan didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, though she thought maybe a girl would be nice, besides Booth already had Parker, a girl would be nice for him too.

Despite Brennan's protest, Angela caught her friend fingering the tiny pink outfits a little later, but she didn't say anything when Brennan added a little pink teddy bear to the small pile of blankets, bibs and gender neutral outfits they picked out, most were green or white, but there was also yellow and orange. Angela was satisfied with their efforts when they headed back to the car a single bag in hand and a receipt for the rest of their order which was to be delivered within six weeks, making Brennan even happier that she'd started shopping so early.

Angela was right though, she was scared, everything was happening too fast, and she wasn't even sure exactly what was happening. Apart from the morning sickness and her aching breasts she didn't feel all that different, just a little off colour, like she'd had a big night around the same time her period was due to start. And then there was Booth, they'd been friends for four years, yet suddenly they were so much more and she wasn't quite sure what they were anymore. They'd never really dated, yet now they were practically living together, he'd stayed with her every night that week and she knew he would stay again tonight, and the thought made her scared and deliriously happy. She couldn't imagine not having Booth in her bed anymore, and it had only been a few days, it scared her how much she needed him, and that was the truth.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Okay, so i got over my writer's block with this... but managed to finish Bottom Line in the mean time so it's all good and i think i know where i'm heading with this... mostly. Anyway enjoy the chapter thanks to eveyrone who has reviewed and keep reviewing

Chapter 12

"Brennan" she flipped the phone open without bothering to check the caller ID, it was probably Cam or Booth anyway, maybe Angela.

"Tempe" okay maybe not any of them, she thought trying to place the voice on the other end of the line that seemed vaguely familiar "It's Ben" it took her a moment to figure out who Ben was, but when it clicked she felt all the colour drain from her face.

"What do you want?" there was nothing friendly in her tone and try as she might she couldn't be nice to the man who had fathered her child. He'd bowed out the moment he heard about the baby, he'd bowed out of her own life even before that and that didn't bother her but to say you didn't want your own child. To abandon your flesh and blood, she knew how that felt.

"I've thought about it and I want to be a part of the kid's life" No small talk, just the way she liked it "Actually Temperance, I've decided that I would like custody of it"

"Excuse me?" Brennan asked shocked.

"You're not a fit mother Temperance. You work in a dangerous field and you're very focussed on your career, both of them. And you're cold and unfeeling, children need love."

"Excuse me?" Brennan repeated "We had two dates, what makes you think that you're qualified to know me? You don't know anything about me" she hissed.

"I know enough. I don't even think you're capable of loving" he spat back.

Brennan scoffed "Every time you open your mouth you demonstrate how little you know about me Ben"

"Whatever Temperance, I'm not going to give up easily this is my baby too"

"You didn't want it" she argued.

"Neither did you" Brennan choked slightly, he was right, just for a moment she hadn't wanted her baby.

"You have no legal rights to this baby Ben, so it will be much easier if you give this up right now" She was angry and she didn't have time to get into an argument about what may or may not be the right thing to do for their baby right then.

"You ready to go?" Booth asked from the doorway of her office, she held a hand up immediately to silence him. Booth noticed the phone held to her ear and the anger that flashed in her eyes and a crease formed in his forehead hoping it wasn't him that had caused it. And if it wasn't him he would hurt whoever had.

"Look I don't know what makes you think that you'll be a more suitable caregiver to our child than I am but quite frankly from what little I know about you I would be very surprised if you were. I have to go now and I suggest you think very seriously about what you can offer to this baby that I can't and whether that is worth going to court over. If you are any kind of man at all you'll realise that it is not worth it and doing so will severely jeopardise the likelihood of any further contact with your child. Goodbye Ben" she flipped the phone shut and heaved herself off the chair grabbing her coat and putting it on while Booth remained frozen in the doorway.

"Let's go Booth, we're going to be late" If it weren't for her protruding stomach and slight waddle she would have breezed past him gracefully instead she squished by him and into the lab while he trailed behind.

"Why did you do that?" he asked when they reached the SUV.

"What?" she asked confused.

"Tell him that he wouldn't see his son" Booth clarified.

"He accused me of being an unfit mother Booth, he wants custody. He won't be a good father" She was silent for a few moments before she realised what he was really asking "not like you Booth, it's not the same thing. You're a good father, you deserve to be a part of your son's life, you enrich his life, you make it better, Ben wouldn't do that"

"Bones it doesn't matter, every child needs their father" Booth argued twisting the key in the ignition.

"But Booth I thought that you of all people would argue that it is better for a child to have no father than an unfit father. Besides my baby will have his or her father. You" He knew she was alluding to his abusive, alcoholic father and he wondered if things would have been better without his dad around.

"It's not the same Bones. I'm not actually the baby's father as much as I wish I was and I can't lie about that. I won't"

"Well we could always make it legal"

"What?" Booth asked, sure she wasn't alluding to what it sounded like she was.

"If we're married before the baby is born then legally it will be yours" She explained.

"I know the law. But I thought you didn't want to get married"

"I've reconsidered. But only if it's you. Besides I know that it's what you want and marriage does have certain benefits in this society as much as I might not like it."

"Did you just propose to me?" he asked a smirk on his face.

"Yes"

"That's not very traditional"

"No it's not" she agreed, they fell in to silence while Booth considered the odd request. Brennan didn't seem eager for an answer, and she wasn't because truthfully she didn't need a ring or a piece of paper to prove her commitment to Booth, he knew how she felt and that she was willing to try.

"I'll think about it" Booth finally offered a few minutes later.

"Okay. Let me know when you decide. And if it will make you happy I will allow Ben to see the baby providing he decides to drop this business of custody"

"You don't have to do that Bones. It's your decision"

"I know, but I think you're right, if he wants to see the baby I shouldn't stop him, but the moment he hurts him or her he's out" Booth laughed, her maternal instinct had kicked in big time and he loved seeing her so protective of the unborn baby, and even though he wouldn't admit it he was almost as protective.

"That's sounds reasonable" Booth agreed pulling into the parking lot of the doctor's surgery.

BB-BB-BB-BB-BB

"Okay Doctor Brennan, if you'd like to come with me we'll get you ready for the ultrasound" Brennan had no idea of the nurse's name but Booth greeted her happily having met her each time they'd visited the doctor so far. Brennan nodded and followed the woman who gestured that it was alright for Booth to follow also.

The gel was cold and Brennan shivered slightly as it was smothered over her large belly.

"Well Doctor Brennan, the baby appears to be healthy" the doctor announced after a few minutes of searching for the small form. "Would you like to know the sex of your baby" Booth didn't hesitate in nodding.

"This isn't a very effective method for determining the gender of the foetus" Brennan announced cocking her head at an odd angle to look at the doctor, before swivelling it so that she could see Booth "But I would still like to know" she added seeing Booth's face. She wouldn't believe it until the baby was in her arms but more often than not the doctor's were right.

"Well Doctor Brennan as you can see, the head is there" she gestured to a spot on the screen and Brennan nodded, Booth cocked his head sure that all he was looking at was a moving blob "And you can see that arm there" she pointed again "The umbilical cord is there and the feet are down there" she gestured "And by the looks of that part there you're going to be the proud parents of a little boy" she concluded. Booth wasn't sure that he could see anything but Brennan seemed to be nodding in agreement.

"Looks like Angela was wrong" Booth muttered as the nurse began to clean the gel from Brennan's stomach.

"I told you Booth that this is not conclusive"

"Did you want a girl?" he asked.

"I don't know" Brennan admitted, wondering if maybe she really did want a little girl and not a boy, but she would love the baby just the same "I think about some of the things that mum and I used to do together and I think about doing the same things with my little girl. I don't know Booth"

"Look whether this is a little boy or a girl then you're going to love him... or her. And if it is a boy, then if you like we can always try again for a girl" Booth grinned his eyebrows raising suggestively.

"Don't get ahead of yourself" Brennan laughed.

"Okay, but I would like to accept you proposal" He admitted.

"Really?"

"Yes" Booth confirmed "And we can even do it your way"

"Okay, I don't want a big ceremony, and I think I'd like to write my own vows. If it's really important to you then we can have the ceremony in a church but I think if it's alright I'd like to have it outside somewhere"

"You've really thought about this?" he realised.

"Yeah, for a couple of months now"

"Something outside might be nice" Booth agreed, after all god had created the earth that meant he'd created nature too so he'd see their declarations anywhere "And I agree about writing our own vows, I don't think the traditional ones really apply" Booth wasn't sure the details of a wedding had ever been so easily agreed on by the people involved but that didn't really matter, he'd agree to almost anything if it meant marrying Temperance Brennan. It occurred to him that maybe God had heard his prayers, because everything seemed to be coming together for him. At that moment life was damn good.

AN: Sorry to whoever said don't bring Ben back... but i had to and it's had some pretty good things happen right?


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Unlucky chapter 13... Is it going to be unlucky for B&B? Well let's find out.

Chapter 13

"You're engaged?" Angela squealed disbelieving, before wrapping her arms around her friend careful of her bulging stomach.

"I knew you'd come around eventually" Angela smirked having gotten over her initial excitement "So are you going to have a big wedding?"

"Ange" Brennan groaned, she'd put off breaking the news to the artist for a day and a half, knowing that she would react enthusiastically "It's just going to be a simple ceremony, in the gardens here with the people who are closest to us, it's not going to be a big deal" Brennan insisted collapsing onto the sofa that had become her favourite place in her office.

"But Bren, it's a wedding, you have to have a dress and flowers, it's the most important day of your life" Angela argued flabbergasted.

"I don't have to do anything" Brennan retorted quickly "We just want a few people there, the people who matter, the dress and flowers don't. And besides isn't it supposed to be our day? Just because you and Hodgins never got your dream wedding doesn't mean you can live it vicariously through me. This time you're the maid of honour, not the bride"

"Woah" Angela held up her hands, Brennan was angry, it had been happening more often since she'd become pregnant, she was prone to sudden outbursts of anger, especially as her body began to swell and she found herself bumping into things and rushing to the toilet every few minutes. It was frustrating.

"You want me to be maid of honour?" Angela asked when Brennan seemed to have calmed a little.

"Of course" she replied as if it was obvious, who else would she have chosen?

"Well in that case I accept, but I get to pick out my dress" Brennan nodded, one less thing she had to worry about.

"Okay, but Cam's going to be a bridesmaid, so you'll have to make sure you don't clash"

"Sure, I'm thinking something Blue though, electric blue, and strapless" Angela told Brennan dreamily and she laughed, whatever Angela wanted was just fine with her.

"Are you going to wear white?" Angela asked a few minutes later having detailed the design for the bridesmaid dresses.

"I don't know, I might get something cream, but I think Booth would like something traditional and that's okay because I'm going to be pretty big by then so it'll just be a simple dress.

"Oh. You're having the wedding before the baby's born?" she asked as if she hadn't thought of it before.

"Yeah, in a couple of weeks if we can. After all you managed to put something even bigger together and we've got a pretty small thing so it won't take too much planning" Angela thought back to the frantic rush they'd had trying to put together a wedding in a week, she did not envy her friend at that moment.

"Okay, well good luck. I'll talk to Cam about the dresses and we'll sort it out" Angela told Brennan getting up from the sofa "And Bren... Congratulations"

"Thanks" Brennan accepted smiling. As Angela disappeared happily from her office Brennan's thoughts were interrupted by her ringing phone.

"Brennan" she greeted.

"Can we meet, I need to talk to you?" It was Ben.

"Sure" she'd told Booth she'd at least talk to him. She offered a time and place, hoping that the whole thing would be over with soon. Hopefully that day, since she was meeting him in her lunch break.

BB-BB-BB-BB-BB

He was already at the cafe when she got there, and didn't stand up or help with her seat when she sat down opposite him.

"Hello Ben"

"Temperance" His voice was stony and Brennan didn't care for the pointless small talk, she just wanted to know what she was doing there. Before she had a chance to ask the waitress bustled over.

"What can I get you two?"

"Um... I think I'll have a chocolate milkshake and a bowl of chilli fries" Brennan ordered, Booth had laughed the first time she'd asked the waitress at the diner to bring her some chilli for his fries. But he'd quickly learnt to simply order chilli fries in the first place because it had been one of her favourite things since she'd fallen pregnant.

"Just a burger for me" Ben told the young woman, though his eyes were focussed on her ample breasts, spilling over the top of her shirt. Brennan scoffed, that was not going to help his case.

"Ben!" she called a few moments later when his eyes continued to follow the now retreating form of the young waitress. Her hands waved in front of his face "Will you please tell me what I'm doing here? I need to get back to work"

"That's right, it's always about work with you isn't it?" Ben shot back, his tone suddenly hostile.

"Ben! If you're not going to be civil then I don't know why you invited me here, I thought you wanted to discuss something calmly and rationally like adults"

"And again with the rationality" Ben said exasperated throwing his hands into the air "I don't understand you Temperance, you put all your effort into playing around with bones and identifying people who don't even matter, people who have been dead for hundreds of years. You don't have a clue about the living" Brennan had no idea what she'd said wrong, in fact she'd hardly said anything and yet Ben was practically yelling at her in the tiny cafe.

If he was trying to hurt her then he was unsuccessful. It wasn't the first time someone had told her she didn't do well with the living and although she was much better at relating to people than she had once been it was still not something she was very good with. She had accepted that, she knew it was a weakness and it was something she was trying to change but it didn't matter to her what Ben thought of that, because she didn't really care about him. She cared about him less than she did the bones that she examined, in fact she'd probably care about him more if he were dead as sad as that was.

"Look Ben, every one of those people matter to me" she replied calmly "Because every single one of them lived and they all deserve to have a name in death, somebody should know what happened to them. But that is not what we are here to discuss. We are here to discuss the baby, our baby" the last phrase was choked, she hated referring to the baby as theirs even though that's what it was.

"Yes we are" he agreed, suddenly much calmer.

"Okay. I assume you've made a decision"

"Yes. I'm going to try and get custody"

"Okay" Brennan accepted "You won't get it without a fight" she knew there was little chance he would actually win, the most he would get would be joint custody and even that was a slippery slope.

"Can I just ask you one question?"

"Sure" Ben agreed.

"Do you actually want the baby or do you just not want me to have it?" She hadn't spent four years as Booth's partner and not picked up a few things, she could tell Ben was thrown by the question.

When it seemed Ben was not going to answer her question she posed another "Have you thought about what a big change it would be? All the things you wouldn't be able to do? Are you ready for that?"

He was silent a few more seconds before answering "No, I'm not. Okay, maybe I don't want the baby, but I still don't think you should have it" Brennan tried not to groan, the nerve of him. What had she been thinking she wondered, what would have possessed her to share a bed with the man sitting opposite her?

"Look, no matter what you believe right now biologically speaking it is in the best interests of the baby to be with the mother, unless for some reason that is not possible or a risk to the child's health. And honestly the baby would be better off with me than not, I can provide a stable financial situation and a stimulating environment. I don't understand why you are so opposed to me raising this baby"

"Okay" Ben yielded "Obviously you want this, the kid can stay with you, I won't fight it. Hell I don't care what happens. I wish you'd just got rid of it"

Brennan was shocked, but in the interests of her agreement with Booth she thought she should try to remain diplomatic, and give him one final chance "Thankyou Ben. But I hope you realise that this time there's no going back, the decision you make right now is the one you have to stick with. I don't want you coming in and out of my child's life, you're either in or you're out and I'm going to leave that choice to you. So what's it going to be?" She was using her business voice and even Ben knew that she meant it, so he considered carefully before answering.

"Out" Then he was throwing a few bills on the table and she was watching his retreating back disappear from the cafe.

Only when he was out of sight did she finally call Booth and tell him that Ben had called her back and that everything had been resolved. She knew that if she'd called him earlier he would have insisted on accompanying her and while she had learnt to appreciate the gesture there were still things she needed to take care of herself.

"He wanted out" she relayed to Booth while walking the block and a half back to the Jeffersonian.

"He'll regret it" Booth replied easily.

"I don't know that he will" Brennan argued "He's not like you"

"So you've said"

"I..." Brennan broke off suddenly.

"Bones? Temperance?" Booth called and upon receiving no response he began to panic immediately picking up his office phone while making sure to keep the other connected too he called an ambulance. She was probably fine, but he didn't want to risk it. He knew roughly where she was and if he raced he could get there before the ambulance and make sure. He wasn't sure why he was worrying, because she was just walking back to the Jeffersonian, what could possibly happen? But his gut told him to worry, so he did.

AN: Sorry about the massive cliffie... And i know you're not feeling like reviewing now that i've left you hanging but it would be nice anyway.


	14. Chapter 14

AN: I know massive cliffy... and i didn't get this chapter done as fast as i'd planned because it's first week back at uni and i didn't realise how much work i had until i started doing it. So thanks for the reviews and enjoy the next chapter.

Chapter 14

"Bones?" He called out her name frantically over and over again as he searched the area he was sure she must be in. When he eventually found her she was slumped on the steps of a tiny bookstore gasping for breath.

"Temperance?" he whispered squatting in front of her "What's going on? You stopped talking" His hands were on her thighs rubbing gently and then he saw her phone dropped on the ground a couple of feet away.

"I..." She was sobbing, and he wished he knew why.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his hands already checking for anywhere that she might be concealing an injury. She shook her head and violently wiped tears from her eyes. He heard the sirens then, and he knew they were quite close and he remembered that they were for her. Maybe she wasn't physically injured, but he had to be sure. When the ambulance pulled up next to them on the street he waved them down.

"She says she's not hurt but she's pregnant and I want to be sure" the paramedic nodded probably thinking he was over protective and maybe he was but he needed to be sure.

"How far along is she?" was the first of many questions as they ushered her into the ambulance. They let him ride alongside her while they began checking for any external injuries, and although they continued to ask her questions they received no response.

"Booth?" she called as the paramedic pushed gently on her abdomen. He slipped his hand immediately into hers squeezing slightly.

"I'm here" he assured. When they made it to the hospital the paramedics concluded that she didn't seem to have any physical injuries but her non responsiveness was worrying.

"We'll run a few tests just to be sure, but I don't think this is a physical problem, I would guess that the baby is just fine" the young man assured, but it wasn't worrying Booth, if she was all right physically then it meant it was a psychological problem. Damn, that was not good. The doctor came in and confirmed the paramedic's finding that she was in fine physical health and left the nurse to draw some blood from her.

"Just sit tight" the doctor told Booth whose hand was still grasped in hers. When the doctor was gone and he thought she was asleep he made to pull away but she reached out for him immediately and ignoring all the hospital's rules he pulled his phone out. He dialled first Cam's number to tell her Brennan wouldn't be back in, then Cullen's to tell him that he wouldn't be back either and finally Sweets.

"Could you come down here, I'm at Washington Memorial, something's going on with Bones"

"Sure man, I'll be there soon" Sweets couldn't help but grin, Booth had called him.

He thought about calling Angela but decided there wasn't much point until he knew more, especially since at that moment Brennan called his name again. He wished there was someone there because he'd never been more scared in his life. Not even when she'd been missing, he knew she was strong and resourceful but seeing her freaked out, he was thrown.

When the doctor returned she was asleep "Her potassium levels are a little low and she's quite dehydrated so we'll keep her over night and get some fluids into her. I'm no psychologist but this seems to be a purely psychological problem so I would recommend finding her someone to talk to, it seems to be more of a stress problem and if that's the case it might be recommended that she reduce her stress levels possibly even stop working until the baby is born" Booth scoffed, Brennan was going to hate that, being taken away from her work.

"Yeah, we've already got a therapist, he's on his way" Booth agreed thanking the doctor and letting his hand twist in her hair rubbing it soothingly, if for her comfort or his own he had no idea. A nurse came in a few minutes later and hooked an IV up in Brennan's hand so that clear liquid flowed slowly into her body while she slept. He kicked off his shoes easily and dropped his jacked onto the chair and then his tie. Careful of the IV he slipped onto the bed next to Brennan and she curled against his body unconsciously.

That was how Sweets found them, his eyebrows quirked from the doorway because despite the development in their relationship they had been discreet enough that Sweets was yet to comment on the change. Booth unwrapped his arms and moved gently off the bed and followed Sweets back into the hallway.

"What happened?"

"We were talking on the phone and she just stopped talking. I had a bad feeling so I called and ambulance, found her crying outside a bookshop. The doctor said there isn't anything wrong with her but she's not responding much." Booth debated telling the therapist about the other secret they'd been keeping but kept silent.

"That's it? What about the two of you? Anything I should know about?" Sweets tried to keep the smirk from his face.

"We're not talking about that Sweets" Booth growled back.

"But you are together?" Booth nodded. Sweets made a move back towards the hospital room but was stopped by Booth's voice.

"There's something else" Sweets stopped and turned back to face him "She's pregnant" they'd kept it on a need to know basis. He, Angela and Cam were the only ones who knew. It wasn't really his to tell Sweets but he'd deal with that later.

"Really? That's very interesting"

"It's not mine" Booth told him, in a tone that said 'Get your mind out the gutter'

"Very interesting" Sweets decided.

"Oh God, just find out what's wrong with her" Sweets nodded, "You don't need to worry Agent Booth, some sort of emotional instability is common during pregnancy."

Brennan was awake when they went back into the room, just barely though and she didn't even register Sweets presence, only Booth's when he took up his place once again on the edge of her bed. Sweets took a seat in one of the uncomfortable plastic hospital seats.

"Doctor Brennan?" he asked, Booth rubbed his fingers over her hand, her eyes flicked down to look at their hands.

"It's okay Temperance"

"Agent Booth said he found you crying, why were you crying?" she buried her head in Booth's shoulder and it was the most reaction she'd given to anything but him since he'd found her. Sweets motioned that maybe it would be better if Booth spoke to her instead.

"Why were you crying Bones?"

"I..." her voice broke again "I don't know" she admitted, Booth looked to Sweets, who nodded that it was entirely possible she didn't know.

"That's okay" he accepted, Sweets nodded for him to continue "Does it have something to do with the baby?" Brennan nodded.

"You're scared aren't you?" She nodded again.

"Why?" there was nothing accusatory in his voice and Sweets felt himself smile, Booth could have made a good therapist, maybe a child therapist he decided. He watched as Booth tenderly stroked Brennan's cheek.

"So much... It could all go wrong... so many things that could go wrong" she mumbled against his shoulder.

"Hey, it's always been like that" She seemed to be slowly coming out of it, slowly regaining her sense of reality.

"I know Booth, but I'm not strong enough, I don't think I could survive if anything happened to the baby" Booth understood, he'd been through something similar just after Parker was born. He'd seen the little bundle of blankets and held him and he'd never seen anything quite that precious before. He'd gone and gotten drunk that night, going through almost a whole bottle of scotch before passing out on his sofa. When he'd woken the next morning he'd vowed never to do it again, for Parker. He'd decided then that he would be the best father he could, he'd put away bad guys and make sure his son knew he loved him and that was the best he could do. Some things would be out of his hands.

"Temperance, no matter what happens, I'll be there, we'll get through it. But nothing has happened yet, it might never happen, you have to believe that it won't, keep hoping. And if it does, you'll know that you've cherished every moment with that child because some things happen whether we want them to or not... we can't control everything" Brennan snuggled closer to him.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked stroking her hair.

"Yeah" She nodded.

"That's good. You gotta try and stay calm and not stress, it's bad for the baby" She nodded, it definitely was and Booth could see that she was finally becoming her old self.

"That's right" Sweets agreed, both of them turned to look at him then, having forgotten he was there "We have to make sure that Doctor Brennan's stress is kept to a minimum. I think it would be best if she stopped going out in the field until after the baby is born. And ideally I would suggest that she stop working all together but I know that's not a possibility so I'm going to suggest you restrict working to three days a week and leave no later than six pm."

"No" Brennan protested.

"I think it's a good idea Bones." Sweets thanked him silently for his support "It's only a few months Bones, you're going to have to do it eventually. And you want the baby born healthy, we all do." Brennan nodded and he knew she wouldn't give him anymore resistance. He nodded to Sweets, who seemed to agree.

"You get some rest Doctor Brennan. And feel free to call if you want to talk" Booth tried to keep from smirking, Brennan call Sweets? It seemed impossible.

"Sweets is right. They want to keep you over night, so you might as well get comfortable." Booth joked. He needed to go call Angela, now that things were sorted out she deserved to know, maybe not all the details, that he would leave to Brennan.

He stayed the night with her, holding her close while she slept restlessly and the nurses bustled in and out. They weren't happy that he was there but they'd seen both Booth and Brennan enough times to know that they could be difficult. The pair were far less combative when they were together. She clung to him in her sleep, and he knew she would rely on him, that he would have to be the strong one. She would be looking to him to know what to do, and he had no idea.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Yay, new chapter... With a few old friends coming to visit... Well just one really. Anyway, thanks for the reviews. Keep em coming.

Chapter 15

"Booth, I want to go to work, what am I supposed to do here all day?" Brennan whined while she watched Booth fasten his garish tie and then pull his favourite stripy socks up over his calves. He'd insisted on staying the night even though she'd told him she was fine.

"Why don't you just chill, do some reading or something, take a bath. I'll call you and see how you're doing later, but right now I have to go" Booth told her placing a chaste kiss on her lips before slipping out of her apartment leaving her surrounded by the thick silence that had her feeling even more alone than ever before. Even more alone than she'd felt when she woke to rind her childhood house completely empty, first her parents and then her brother had left her, all alone to find her own way in the world.

She hadn't realised that she'd become so used to having Booth around until they were separated. It wasn't as bad while she was at work, even when they were working different things, because there was always somebody at the Jeffersonian; Angela or Hodgins, she'd even accepted Cam as a part of her family. She wandered through her apartment, picking up random objects along the way before placing them back down. First a book, then an artefact she'd picked up in Morocco and then a juicy green apple from the basket before dropping it back down and eventually her laptop. Maybe she'd do some writing she thought. She grabbed her research from the office and curled onto the sofa with everything she'd need laid out next to her. She tapped easily on the keys the story flowing seamlessly from her mind to the screen. But it was too quiet, and she could feel hear her thoughts reverberating through her head so loudly that she wanted to scream. Angrily she pulled herself off the couch and snatched a CD from the rack before jamming it into the deck without checking to see what it was.

She'd written three pages when she looked back and decided that everything she'd done so far was worthless junk and clicked the delete button angrily before shutting the laptop down and dropping it to the coffee table. Restlessly she wandered her apartment searching for something to keep her occupied until Booth got home, anything. She felt like she was a prisoner in her own home. She found herself staring into her former guest room, it was a mess, they'd been starting to get it ready for the baby, some of the stuff had already been delivered and she'd ordered the rest of the big stuff. Her and Angela had been shopping a few more times searching for clothes and toys, everything in the room seemed to be a pale pastel. It made no sense to Brennan, why was everything for baby's made in such pale colours the kind that stained so easily, it seemed counterintuitive. Even though she'd been told the child was a boy for once she couldn't believe it, because Angela still insisted it was a girl. Usually she would have dismissed the artist's intuitions but she'd seen both Angela and Booth intuitively know certain things long before she had and on rare occasions even contradict her findings and turn out to be right. She wondered if she'd be ready when the baby came because she realised suddenly that it wasn't that far away. The baby had kicked for the first time only a few days earlier and the bulge of her stomach was becoming quite obvious and she knew they wouldn't be able to hide it much longer, in fact she was surprised nobody had mentioned it yet. If Zack had been around he would have known. The thought came to her unbidden and unexpected and she realised that it had been months since she'd gone to see Zach, that she hadn't even told him about the baby, and she wanted him to know, he was part of their family, even if he couldn't be there anymore.

She threw he jacked on and grabbed her keys from the table along with her purse. She sent Booth a text message telling him what she was doing before turning her phone off, they wouldn't allow it at the institute. She felt guilty suddenly because none of them went to visit their old friend as often as they should, her in particular, he was her student after all. She missed him.

"Hey Zach" she greeted him with a quick hug as he was led into the cold room, that contained only solid metal furniture. It was impersonal and cold, even more so than prison, she wondered how Zach could handle living there. She was unaware of the guard glaring at her, it was probably because she'd hugged Zach, but she'd never cared much about upsetting people.

"Doctor Brennan, it's good to see you. I believe that it is customary to offer congratulations to a woman who is expecting a child. Congratulations Doctor Brennan" Zach offered, she knew he'd notice the widening of her iliac crest and the other differences to her body.

"Thank you Zach" she accepted taking the seat opposite him at the metal table and taking his damaged hands into her own. She'd examine them before she left just to make sure that they were taking good care of him, but from what she could tell he was recovering quite well.

"I was always under the impression that you did not adhere to the social normative regarding child birth and rearing." Brennan smiled at Zach's observation.

"That is true Zach, and I still believe that having a child is not necessary to lead a full and complete life and I did not plan to have a baby but once I found out I was pregnant I couldn't give it up. You know that the hormones released during pregnancy cause certain reactions of protectiveness towards one's baby" she reminded, Zach nodded.

"I'm happy for you, Doctor Brennan. Studies show that women who have children live ten percent longer than those who don't" Brennan laughed, trust Xach to know something like that.

"How are you doing?" she asked changing the subject.

"Doctor Sweets says that I should be able to be released soon. He seems pleased with my progress." Zach didn't elaborate any further and Brennan didn't ask, she trusted Sweets judgement in relation to psychology but she still didn't believe it was the most effective field of science.

"That's good. Because I'd like you to be involved in the baby's life because studies indicate that exposing infants to diverse environmental stimuli has a positive effect on their growth" It was nice to be able to talk with someone who understood her and understood her way of thinking. Even if it was that thinking that had led him into trouble.

"Really Doctor Brennan? I would have thought that you would want people like Angela to be around the baby, she seems to be much more apt at dealing with infants"

"No Zach, I want all of you around, Angela might be good with children and very creative but I want the baby to know people like you, so that he'll be more accepting of all types of people" She knew Zach wouldn't be offended by her assessment of him, because it was simply fact, he wasn't like Angela or Cam or Hodgins, but it didn't make him any less important.

"Is your baby going to be a male?" Zach asked having picked up on her slight slip.

"That's what the doctor told me, but those types of things aren't always accurate, and Angela believes it will be a girl" Zach knew that if depending on the tests Brennan had obtained the doctors could not be one hundred percent sure of the gender of her baby, Zach didn't believe anything could be one hundred percent certain.

"I brought you something to read" Brennan said suddenly fishing into her purse, she'd seen the book weeks earlier and thought of Zach, it had been sitting in the trunk of her car mocking her ever since.

"Thank you" Zach accepted the gift easily and began to flip through the pages, the theories proposed were quite unusual and she knew Zach would enjoy the interesting methods used in the experiment and the conclusions by the researcher.

"Who is the father?" Zach asked suddenly a few minutes later. If it was anyone else asking she would have been offended and probably refused to answer but it was Zach.

"Just a guy I went on a couple of dates with" She disclosed her hands fiddling with the edge of the book she'd just given Zach.

"Oh" he said sounding slightly disappointed "I guess Angela was wrong about that" he concluded.

"What do you mean?"

"Angela said that if you ever had a child then it would be with Agent Booth, she says that you're in love with him. But I don't understand love, so I can't decide logically whether she's right or not" Zach explained, and she realised how empty the lab was without him.

"I have to go" she said suddenly "I'll come back soon, I promise" she told Zack already gathering up her purse and coat and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek on the way out. She needed to talk to Angela

She suspected that Booth loved her, in fact Angela had said as much, told her that the FBI Agent would love her until the day she died and probably longer. She'd begun to accept that, but would only truly believe it when he said the words himself. But she'd never thought of herself as loving Booth, she wasn't even sure she knew what love was, let alone believed in it, at least not the way they portrayed it in movies. And yet Zach had just told her that she was in love with Booth, that it was something Angela had told him. It was a topic that she knew Zach couldn't help her with, the only person who could was Angela, and she wasn't supposed to be at work Booth would not be happy if he knew.

She compromised. When she made it back to her car she flipped her phone on and dialled Angela's familiar number.

"Ange, can you come meet me?" she asked without hesitating when she heard the phone being answered.

"Hey Bren, how's your day off? Getting lots done? You should be resting you know" Angela managed to both chastise, tease, and question in the same breath.

"Yeah, I went to see Zach" she told her friend "But can you meet me or not?"

"Sure" Angela agreed "How's Zach? I haven't been out there for ages, I hope he's doing okay" Angela worried, they'd all taken his betrayal hard but while the others had managed to move on quickly it had taken Angela the longest to come to terms with his choices and mistakes.

"I'll meet you at the diner in fifteen minutes" Brennan told her ignoring her questions "We'll talk then"

"Sure Sweetie" Angela agreed sounding a little worried "But Zach's okay right?"

"Yeah" Brennan sighed before disconnecting the call and pulling onto the road, she could only hope Angela had the answers she was looking for.

AN: Sorry, little bit of a cliffie again.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: So everyone's happy about Zack coming back? If only briefly. I desperately wanted to find a way to bring him into this, but i also wanted the story in the mid season 4 climate... Of course this chapter you'll also see another thing i wanted to have happen... and it won't be the one you think... I'll tell you what it was next post once you've all read it otherwise i'll spoil it. So thanks for the reviews keep em coming enjoy.

Chapter 16

Angela was already sitting at their usual table with a steaming mug of what they'd deemed to be the best coffee in DC nestled in her hands when Brennan got there. The waitress didn't wait for Brennan to sit down before approaching for her order.

"Chocolate banana?" she asked already knowing the answer. Brennan nodded and she bustled away to prepare the anthropologist's favourite milkshake.

"So you going to tell me what's going on?" Angela asked as the pregnant scientist collapsed onto her seat.

"Zach says I'm in love with Booth." She blurted out leaving Angela confused not only about what the problem was but how the conversation had come about. Then she remembered, almost two years earlier she'd been with Zach watching on while the forensic anthropologist and FBI agent bickered like children. Zach had told her that he didn't understand how they got any work done because why would you want to work with someone who you're always arguing with. He'd then launched into a very long verbal debate with himself about the pros and cons of having an argumentative relationship in the scientific field and how it could prove beneficial to research. Angela had gently explained to the clueless grad student that his mentor was in love with her partner only she was too scared to admit it.

"Sweetie, do you want to tell me what I'm doing here?" Angela rephrased.

"He said you told him that" She explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, of course Zach had told Brennan that part, he could be so clueless sometimes.

"Of course he did. But that still doesn't explain why I'm here and not at work, you know sketching faces for skulls, doing my job." Angela reiterated.

"I want to know if it's true" Brennan answered firmly barely noticing when her milkshake was set in front of her.

"You already know the answer to that Sweetie, you just need to think about it"

"Ange" she groaned frustrated.

"No, just think. You have to come to it on your own" Brennan knew she was right, it was one thing to discover something and come to a conclusion but it was another to skip the journey and go straight to the answer.

"I don't believe in love"

"I know. Because there's no empirical evidence, it can't be quantified" Angela replied in a drone that mimicked the words she'd heard too many times before.

"Ange" Brennan groaned again.

"No, I get it Bren. For you loving people, saying that you love someone has only ever brought pain."

"No it's not like that Ange. I love you and you don't cause me pain" It was true that plenty of people she had loved had caused her pain and had left her. Most of them had come back to her in the end, but the damage had already been done.

Brennan looked down eyeing her milkshake and Angela was suddenly knew what the problem was.

"You've never been in love... that's the problem isn't it?" Brennan didn't look up, but nodded.

"So you do believe in love don't you?"

"Yeah I guess I do" Brennan agreed smiling "Not like in those movies you like though. That's not love"

"No it's not" Angela agreed.

"I know that's not love, but I don't know what it is" Brennan admitted a few moments later.

"It's whatever you want it to be. It's different for everyone" A typical artist's response Brennan thought wryly, why couldn't she just give her something concrete that she could understand.

"What does it mean for you?"

Angela took a long time to answer, she seemed almost unaware of Brennan's presence as she fiddled with her serviette and coffee mug. She'd been in love so many times, loved so many people in her life. She'd loved her parents, her friends at school, her first love, and later in college Roxie, then Brennan and Zack and even Cam eventually. But the first thing Angela thought of when Brennan asked her what love was, was Jack Hodgins. He'd accepted her for who she was, was willing to sacrifice everything for her, didn't mind seeing the bad times and made sure there were plenty of good times.

"Love... Love is someone who doesn't want you to be anything other than who you are, who wants the best for you, even if it means giving you up... Oh god, I made a huge mistake" Angela realised breaking of in mid sentence "Are you going to be okay? Because there's somewhere I think I need to be, but if you're not I'll stay" Angela asked already standing from the table and grabbing her purse.

"No. Go, go see Hodgins" Brennan told her grinning "I'll be fine" Brennan understood. For Angela who needed her freedom, love was someone who allowed her to be free, trusting she wouldn't leave. For Cam, she guessed love would be someone who both admired and adored her and who looked good on her arm. For Booth who cherished life and believed in something greater than himself; love was a miracle. And Brennan realised that for her, the woman who had been left alone by her parents and her brother, love was simply someone who would stay and who would grow with her not away. It would be someone who supported her and who she supported, they would be equals in every way and would want the same things from life. A successful career, and for the bad guys to rot in jail. It was that simple.

She ticked each of her criteria off mentally against the man that according to Angela she was in love with. He wouldn't leave, and despite their arguments they learnt from each other and accepted opposing views... eventually. Tick for support and tick for equality and a big tick for their goals from life. As usual Angela was right.

Brennan was up and following Angela's lead as fast as her body allowed. If she'd been thinking straight she would have called him first to find out where he was but instead she just hurried straight to the FBI building and up to his office.

"Bones?" he asked confused when she slipped purposefully into his office.

"Hey" she greeted not bothering to check if anybody was watching before pressing a kiss to his inviting lips.

"I wanted to tell you something" she answered his unspoken question as she pulled away. He nodded for her to continue "I'm in love with you" whatever he was expecting it wasn't that.

"Woah" he breathed "I never thought I'd hear you say that" he admitted leaning back in his chair.

"I never believed it was true, that it could be true with anyone until I met you. Even then I don't think I realised, but I know the truth now. You're everything I need" He knew she was speaking the truth, at least the truth the way she saw it, because some truths were not fact, some truths were subjective.

"Does that mean that if I tell you right now that I'm in love with you then you're not going to freak out on me?" Booth asked already smiling.

"Booth!" she groaned.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes. So in that case, Temperance Brennan, I'm in love with you" It wasn't how he'd imagined it, he'd thought about taking her out for dinner and then to the park or somewhere they could see the stars. They'd hold hands while looking out at the world and he'd tell her. She wouldn't answer back, but she wouldn't run either. This was so much better, it wasn't fancy, it wasn't particularly elegant but it was something he was sure he'd remember for the rest of his life. Even when he was old and struggling to remember his own name he would remember that moment he was sure. He'd remember that she was wearing nothing more special than a skirt and sweater, that her hair was down and she looked determined, determined for him to know her newfound truth. He'd remember that when he'd made his own declaration she had thrown her arms around his shoulders and collapsed onto his lap her lips finding his without hesitation.

He didn't want to tinge the momentous moment with pain but he knew they had to talk soon. Talk about what had her sobbing and semi catatonic on the stoop of a bookstore. As he held her close for a few precious moments he kept his mouth shut, let himself enjoy the moment, enjoy the feeling of knowing that the woman he loved, loved him just as much. Let himself see how far they'd come.

It was Brennan who broke the silence "About the other day I'm sorry I scared you" she'd never really apologised to him before and it occurred to him that it seemed to be becoming a day of firsts.

"It's okay Temperance, but I would like to know what happened. What scared you so much?" His voice was tender and his hand trailed across her cheek.

"I already told you"

"No, I want to know what triggered it, you weren't just walking down the street thinking about it, something had to have happened" Booth pushed.

Brennan nodded understanding "There was a woman on the street, she was talking to someone, I didn't see who and as I was walking past I caught part of her conversation. Her child had died, he'd been hit by a car on his way home from school. He was six. And I just – I don't know what happened"

"It's okay, I get it. The first kid case I got after Parker was born was the hardest case I've ever worked. I wondered if it was going to be him in a few years, his body that turned up in the water, decomposing in the reeds like some worthless piece of trash while I wondered what had happened to him. I knew I wouldn't survive that." Booth admitted recalling that his son had been just two weeks old, Rebecca hadn't let him see the baby for more than a few minutes at a time. He hadn't even had time to bond with the boy yet and he was scared of losing him.

"It's just part of being a parent?" she asked hoping he'd tell her it wasn't or that it got easier.

"Yeah, at least it's part of being a good parent." She nodded she knew all the theories, about the bonds formed between parents and their children, specifically mothers and their children, but she'd never expected the feeling to be so strong or powerful.

"It doesn't get easier?" she asked.

"Nope" She knew that would be his answer "There's always something to worry about, but you get better at dealing with it"

"Okay" Brennan accepted snuggling into his chest slightly still on his lap at his desk.

"You going to be good?" he asked.

"Yeah"

"Okay, well I've got work to do" he said gesturing to the paperwork that littered his desk "And as much as I'd love to spend the whole day sitting here with you, well anywhere with you. But I've got work to do"

"I get it, it's okay Booth. I'll see you at home" It was all so ordinary he thought as he watched her retreating back and then something she'd said permeated his foggy consciousness. Home. He hadn't moved his things yet, but it was. Her place was as much home as his had ever been. He decided he'd talk to her about it later. At home.


	17. Chapter 17

AN: Well this turned out different than i'd planned but here's the next chapter anyway. Thanks for all the reviews keep reading, because it's almost done.

Chapter 17

"You have too much stuff" Brennan protested while they spent the afternoon filling boxes with Booth's belongings and taping them shut. It was a Friday and they both had the day off. They'd fallen into an easy rhythm starting in Parker's bedroom and moving clockwise through the apartment. The whole place had a slightly neglected feel to it that Booth attributed to his lack of presence in recent months which only solidified his decision that it was time to move into Brennan's. When he'd broached the subject with her she'd responded with a perfectly logical argument about why it made sense for him to move in with her, after all the wedding was just a week away.

In fact the wedding was that Sunday. Just two days away. He'd told her they could wait until after the baby was born, that she wasn't supposed to be putting herself under any unnecessary stress but she'd argued that it was hardly a stressful occasion, she'd been to dinner parties that had taken more planning. So it was settled, they'd get everything sorted before the baby came. It was after all hard to sort anything out with a screaming infant in constant need of your attention in the house.

Parker's room had been easy to pack up, mostly it was just some toys and books, some clothes he'd left at Booth's at different times and some posters that decorated the walls. But each object reminded him of some moment in his son's development, he tried to hide the thoughts of Parker from Brennan, he didn't really want to talk about it. He looked at the Tonka truck, that his son hadn't played with for years, it had been a present for Christmas, the year he'd met Brennan. The year after he'd been in quarantine and was sure he couldn't top his previous gift, only to be given a crazy robot by Zack that had been an instant hit with his son. He packed the truck even though he doubted if Parker would ever touch it again, maybe the new baby would want to play with it.

They'd moved onto the kitchen next and even that hadn't been too difficult though Brennan protested that there wasn't much point taking all of his crockery and utensils, after all she had plenty at her place, and at least they all matched.

"No Bones, I like these" He wouldn't give up everything of his, most things didn't matter, but a few did.

"Fine, we'll pack it all and sort it out later" Booth nodded happily at the compromise and continued wrapping each piece carefully before depositing it into a box. Predictably the kitchen also took the longest due to the large number of breakables that had to be secured and they were halfway through when they decided to break for lunch. They ordered in Thai as they usually did, since Booth's fridge was close to empty due to the large amount of time he spent at Brennan's apartment rather than his own.

"Hey Bones, have you thought about names for the baby?" he asked suddenly shoving a forkful of rice into his mouth.

"No, why would I have done that?"

"Because the baby's going to be born soon and it's not fair to leave the kid with no name, besides naming is a serious business" Brennan had to agree, she'd had two different names, not that she remembered the first. She wondered if her life would have been different if she'd remained Joy Keenan, an old Shakespeare phrase popped into her head though, refuting Booth's words 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet'. Maybe so, but she was Temperance Brennan, not Joy Keenan, and she had to admit she couldn't imagine being called Joy, the name just didn't seem right.

"Hmm, well what do you think?" She knew Parker was named after an old friend of Booth's from his time with the army, a kid who had died. Too early, he'd lost too much. But Temperance didn't have anyone to name her son after, the only people she'd ever cared about were still alive, except her mother. But she couldn't very well call her son Christine, and even so she wasn't sure she'd name her daughter Christine if that was the case either, maybe as a middle name though.

"This is something that has to be your decision Bones." His voice was sad.

"Booth?" she questioned, but he turned away "Hey, I've told you, this baby is as much yours as anyone, we're going to raise it together, I want your input, I can't make a decision like this by myself"

"Okay, what about Luke?" Booth suggested, thinking back to his time in the army, there'd been a boy called Luke, Luke Matthews. He'd reminded him of Brennan, a little awkward, but very strong and far too smart to be a soldier.

"Mmm" Brennan thought, her head cocked to the side, it was a possibility "I was thinking of something a little more individual"

"MacDougall?" Booth suggested smiling.

"Was that a serious suggestion?"

"Not really" he admitted. They spent the next twenty minutes suggesting various names and arguing about the suitability of them. Brennan wanted Cyrus, but Booth argued that the kid would be mocked mercilessly with a name like that and suggested she stick with something like Christopher, she wanted Darius and he wanted Damien. In the end the food disappeared and grudgingly they rose from the sofa admitting that if they didn't keep packing they would never finish.

They'd left all the boxes in their respective rooms, so that the apartment still looked relatively normal unless you strayed into the kitchen or second bedroom. They tackled the main bedroom next, well mainly Booth did, while Brennan lay on his bed watching. She was exhausted. He packed the few clothes that were left in his apartment into a suitcase with little difficulty and shoved his remaining shoes into a box along with some spare blankets. Brennan laughed when he tried to hide a pile of magazines from her as he headed for the trash.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Booth. Most men enjoy to look at scantily clad women and pleasure themselves while doing so." She was smiling and he could tell that she didn't care how many other women he looked at. He'd expected a lecture from her about the negative influence that porn had on society but it seemed none was forthcoming and he certainly wasn't going to complain.

"Where are you going with those?" she asked as he disappeared from the room with the stack.

"Trash" he called back already having reached the kitchen.

"Why?"

"Because I don't need them anymore" he didn't see but she blushed at his words. Her eyes travelling over her swollen stomach, it seemed odd that he'd prefer looking at her than the models but she smiled anyway.

Booth thought his bedroom looked strangely impersonal with all of his belongings boxed up in the corner. The only thing left that was his was the framed photo of himself and his partner that she was currently examining very closely on his mattress. He'd even packed his sheets already. Yet the room still felt like his, he knew every corner of it by heart, he'd lived in the same apartment for longer than he'd known Brennan, it had become a part of him and suddenly he felt like he was leaving something behind. But he was ready, ready to let the bachelor part of his life become his history, and that meant moving out and moving on and the woman lying on his bed reminded him that change was most definitely a good thing.

It was the living room that took the longest to box up. They started with the CD's and worked their way from them to the DVD's and finally the books. That was when Brennan began complaining about the vast amount of 'stuff' he had.

"I have less stuff than you" he protested, thinking of the wall to wall books that covered her apartment and cases of artefacts, row upon row of CD's and her clothes! He didn't understand how one woman could have so many clothes, but she'd already explained to him that since she wore all of them she needed to keep them all.

They were halfway through boxing Booth's measly book collection when she spotted them. Three very well read books, that had her own name emblazoned across the spine. She knew he had read them, he'd told her as much several times so she wasn't really surprised to see them, yet it still sent a wave of unexplainable emotion through her.

"How come you never asked me to sign them?" she questioned flipping through the pages, without really seeing them.

"Seemed weird, you know with us being partners and all, I'm not just some guy who turned up at your book signing. I know you" It didn't really make sense to her but she nodded.

"Would you like me to sign them, because I would you know?"

"I know, and of course I'd love you to sign them, but only if you want to" She was already searching for a pen though which she found before sitting back onto the sofa. She took so long that he thought she must be writing him a whole novel but instead he was handed back the books each with a short note in her neat print and a signature.

'_Thanks Booth, I couldn't have done this without you_' he laughed a little at that one, she could do anything she wanted, she'd never needed him.

'_You've helped me to become someone who isn't just about bones, thank you Booth'_

And in the last one:

'_You were right, Andy was based on you'_ he smiled, he knew she'd admit it one day.

He flipped the last book shut and placed it carefully into the box with the others and continued to pack the rest of the books around it.

"Anytime Bones" he promised, she nodded, tears welling slightly in her eyes as she realised he was talking about the unwavering support he gave.

He piled as many of the boxes as he could into the car when they were finished. Angela had promised to help with the rest the next day and had apparently volunteered Hodgins also. The pair were happily repairing their fractured relationship but weren't rushing into marriage again, though Angela was insistent that she didn't want to wait too long, wanting desperately to marry and have children of her own. She was still hoping that her own daughter and Brennan's (because she insisted that's what they were both going to have) would grow up best friends.

"You ready?" Booth asked Brennan who was lying sleepily on the couch after he'd finished the last trip downstairs.

"Yeah" she agreed making no move to get up. He smiled, he liked the more vulnerable Temperance that had emerged during pregnancy, or maybe it was just another by-product of their relationship he wasn't sure. Either way he liked it.

BB-BB-BB-BB-BB

The problem was apparent as soon as he started hauling the boxes into her apartment. There simply wasn't space, for him or for Parker. There seemed to be plenty of space when it was just him and Brennan and Parker every so often on the weekend but suddenly there were too many things and he realised they just wouldn't fit. And soon they'd have another person to find space for as well.

"Bones?" he questioned. She looked around noticing the boxes that littered her living room floor and thought of all the things still left in Booth's apartment.

"Yeah, I see" she confirmed, glancing from the boxes to her own belongings which filled the apartment quite comfortably "I guess we should buy a house" she said flippantly, grabbing the newspaper and sitting herself down in the armchair to search for a suitable place Booth assumed.

"Woah! Slow down" Of course it was similar to what he'd been thinking himself and it made sense, but it seemed a little sudden. One minute he was moving in, the next she was searching for a house to buy. Not that they couldn't afford it, at least she certainly could.

"Why? If we're going to buy a house, now is a good a time as any to start looking" she told him barely looking up from the paper.

"But Bones, I'm just moving in, we're getting married in two days and you're having a baby in two months" Booth protested "And you're supposed to be reducing your stress not adding to it"

"But I'm bored, I can't just sit around and do nothing all day, I'm finishing work soon" she reminded and he groaned, it had been an argument point for weeks, he kept telling her that she couldn't keep working, though she insisted she could. But everyone else in the lab had eventually sided with Booth and she'd given in, agreeing to six weeks maternity leave before the baby was born.

"Fine" Booth agreed, "We'll start looking next weekend"

"What do you think of this one?" she asked holding the newspaper up in front of her and gesturing to a house which seemed to be at least three stories and massive. They didn't need that much space.

"We'll see Bones. We'll see"


	18. Chapter 18

AN: Well this is a bit longer than some of the other chapters but there was no good place to stop it... Of course that's why it's taken so long, that and the fact that my internet is being dodgy and keeps cutting out. So here we go... read, review and pray that my internet decides to start working again.

Chapter 18

The wedding went off without a hitch, which was surprising, even given the small number of people involved. The guest list was short. Angela, Hodgins, Cam, Sweets, Jared, Booth's grandfather, Rebecca, her boyfriend and Parker, plus Sweets, Brennan's father, brother, his wife and the two girls. The only surprise was Zack, who Sweets had managed to get released from the hospital for the day unbeknownst to Brennan but not to Booth. According to Brennan it was ridiculous to have both a maid of honour and bridesmaid with such a small group but she'd allowed it anyway. Jared and Hodgins stood on one side of Booth and Brennan on the other with Angela and Cam at her side. She'd grudgingly allowed her father to give her away and on Booth's suggestion had made Amy's daughters both flower girls, Parker was ring bearer. That of course meant that there were more members of the wedding party than guests but Booth and Brennan had always thought traditional was overrated. They'd written their own vows, because Booth was sure that Brennan would never agree to the traditional vows. So rather than making their promises to God, they made them to each other.

The wedding party was whisked off for photos after the ceremony while Brennan complained that it wasn't necessary and she'd look horrible especially next to Cam and Angela. But they'd done it anyway. It had taken a long time, too long as far as Brennan was concerned to get every conceivable combination of people in the photos. Just the bride and groom, just the women from the bridal party, just the men, just Booth's family, just hers, just the squint squad and then the whole group. But the gardens were beautiful and even the city backdrop couldn't spoil the mood.

They couldn't agree on how to split the group for seating arrangements so instead found themselves with one long table so that the wedding party was on one side and everybody else sat facing them on the other. Even so they didn't follow the usual tradition of men on the groom's side and women on the bride's. Cam and Jared flanked Booth's side while Angela and Hodgins flanked Brennan's, the younger members of the party on either side their parents sitting opposite. Max and Zack were talking animatedly opposite Brennan while Sweets chatted with Booth's grandfather next to them, despite Booth's constant protests not to talk to the infantile doctor. It was an easy camaraderie that descended as each course of food was served. There was nothing elaborate about the food; an entree of mac and cheese, followed by a grilled chicken main course and eventually a choice of lemon cheesecake or chocolate mousse for dessert, though there was plenty and most of them went back for seconds of the delicious sweets.

"This is nice" Max told his daughter a little later during their customary dance "I like seeing you happy. You are happy aren't you, because if you're not I still have a few contacts"

"Dad!" she protested, her hands stiffening around his arms.

"Joking" he laughed, she always took things to seriously "I'm glad though. This baby is going to be good for you, and so is Booth"

"I think you're right" she agreed looking over to where Booth was chatting animatedly with Hodgins. The women seemed to have migrated to one end of the table while the men had taken up the other and the three kids were running around the gardens happily just like Brennan remembered doing with Russ.

"I am happy you know" she told her father a little later, they were still dancing though her feet were throbbing and she knew she'd have to sit back down soon.

"I know" he confirmed his eyes travelling over her smiling face.

"I don't remember ever being this happy" she admitted wistfully.

"I'm sorry for that honey"

"What do you mean?" she asked suddenly snapping out of the haze that he descended over her.

"If it wasn't for your mother and I leaving you then you wouldn't have been so scared to let somebody else love you. You wouldn't have been scared they'd leave" he told her feeling guilty for a decision he'd made almost twenty years earlier to save his family. It was a decision that had cost them all so much, was still costing them and he regretted everything that had led up to him hurting his only daughter so badly.

"It's okay. I understand" she wasn't telling him it wasn't his fault, he'd never expected that, but he could tell she meant her forgiveness, that she'd finally accepted his apology. It was more than he deserved though, she was right he had been at fault, he probably didn't deserve her forgiveness, but he'd spend the rest of her life trying to gain it anyway.

There were too many people who deserved to make speeches at the wedding, almost every single person there. But it was the younger Booth brother who spoke first.

"Seeley, is a special kind of man" Jared began "Everything he does is for the good of others, he never takes much for himself. That is why I am pleased to be standing here today to see him receive the only thing he has ever sought. A family. Thankyou Seeley, I wouldn't be standing here today without you, and congratulations" It was a short speech, more of a toast really and although his words said that he was grateful and happy his eyes told Booth that it wasn't the case. Brennan was oblivious though, and he certainly wouldn't cause a scene, especially at his wedding with his brother, about something that they had already discussed, though clearly not resolved.

Booth was saved from any closer analysis of his brother's speech by Angela standing up and clearing her throat happily. "Temperance Brennan is my best friend, but most of you already know that. We've been working together for almost six years now, which for anyone who knows me would come as a shock."A few people around the table nodded that they could attest to Angela's flighty nature as she continued "The only reason I've stayed at the Jeffersonian so long is because of her, and I'm glad, because there is something special about the group of people I work with that I might not have realised if I had left. They're the type of people who are different, they march to their own drummer, much like I do, and for that reason we've found a family together, dysfunctional as we might be" Booth remembered telling Brennan something similar, years earlier standing outside the diner. One of her slender hands was laid in his, as it had been since they'd sat back down, the other he noticed was reaching for Angela's, which she took easily before continuing her speech.

"We've all learnt from each other and grown together, and there is nowhere that is more obvious than it is between these two people. A woman who believes the answer is always in the science and a man who puts his faith in something bigger, something unseen. For this reason alone it would seem that they would never work out, yet everyone who meets them knows that they have something special. We all knew it even before they did, I'm just glad they've finally caught up" she smirked before toasting her friends. Booth's face remained calm as he sent her a grateful nod, his eyes falling on Brennan who was sobbing silently. Angela pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and whispered something that he couldn't hear to her and she nodded before wiping the tears from her cheek.

There were too many people who deserved to speak, but in the end they'd limited it to just three, though they'd also asked Cam and Booth's grandfather to speak both had declined, leaving Max as the final speaker.

"That's my daughter sitting over there, as you all know, so this is one of the proudest moments of my life. Even more so because I have missed so many of the milestones in her life, in both of my children's lives. And although it was my own foolish mistakes that caused that, I regret every day that I wasn't around, not just because I missed so much but mostly because it hurt her. I should have been there to watch her graduate high school and college, but I wasn't. So I count myself lucky that I was invited here today to give my daughter away to a man who truly deserves her and will make her happy, because that's all I've ever wanted for her" Brennan squeezed Booth's hand under the table her blue eyes sparkling with emotion, as her father's matching ones did. He smiled weakly to her, and it was once again a smile of apology as he too raised his glass in a toast.

If it had been a normal wedding the evening would have continued with dancing, drinking and far too loud chatter, and maybe a few embarrassing stunts from drunken friends and relatives. But Booth and Brennan were far from traditional and had decided on Angela's insistence that they would not only allow presents but they would open them on the night. Booth suspected the artist had something planned, but as usual he kept his mouth shut, because he knew she'd find some way to do it with or without their assistance. Also on Angela's insistence the present portion of the evening was to happen inside, she'd even convinced one of the interns to collect the presents early that day and transport them inside leaving them in Brennan's office.

Booth wasn't sure when she'd had time to do it but the artist had decorated the tiny office with white lace and flowers.

"Angela" Brennan groaned seeing the snowy white monstrosity that was in place of her office.

"It's okay sweetie, I know that's your way of saying thank you" Angela told her with a grin.

Even with the extra swivel chairs Angela had snagged from around the medico legal lab there was nowhere near enough seating, but as Angela had planned it gave the room a more intimate atmosphere. The presents were piled in front of the sofa and it was left to Booth and Brennan to take up residence there, Parker sliding in next to his father. Angela took residence on Hodgins' lap when he snagged one of the chairs; Max, Cam, Zack and Booth's grandfather were awarded the others, leaving everyone else to scramble for floor space.

Brennan had told Angela that gifts weren't necessary but her friend insisted it was all part of a wedding and Booth had backed her up. So she'd agreed, but had made sure everyone knew that they didn't want anything fancy. It was Hodgins' gift that was resting on top, but rather than being one package it was two tiny white bags each labelled with one of their names.

Brennan pulled a very tiny glass jar out of her bag, eyeing it carefully before noticing the piece of paper that was still inside.

"I know it's not much" Hodgins called from across the room "But I had no idea what to get you, since you already have everything you need..." he let himself trail off as Brennan began reading the typed sheet "Yeah, each of the rocks means something" he explained a slight blush covering his face suddenly, wondering whether he should have just brought them a salad bowl or something.

"What does it say?" someone called out, Brennan couldn't tell who, she was too busy examining the jar, because inside were a variety of stones in various shapes, colours and sizes.

Hodgins seemed to realise that Brennan wasn't going to answer so began reciting the contents of the jar from memory "Doctor B has a chunk of kunzite, that's the rough pink one that symbolises new life and devotion; it's quite rare. Lapis lazuli, the royal blue one is for truth; rhodochrosite, that smooth pink one promotes intuition and the orange citrine is called the stone of the mind." Hodgins explained gesturing to the jar as he spoke.

"They both have a piece of rose quartz which is the universal symbol of love and marriage. Booth also has moss agate, that's the green one, which is a warrior stone but symbolises new beginnings and balances anger. Also an emerald, which is commonly associated with love, wisdom and hope. The other green one is peridot which is a symbol of morality and also amethyst which signifies humility and sincerity" Hodgins finished hurriedly. He knew that Doctor Brennan did not believe that a strong could symbolise anything, though he knew Booth would readily accept the idea. He hoped that Brennan could at least enjoy the beauty that the gems exuded, as he did, a small reminder of why he enjoyed nature so much, of why he had chosen to work with bugs and slime. Natural beauty had always taken his breath away, he wondered how anything so perfect could exist.

"Thank you Hodgins" he was surprised to see tears in her eyes once again as she cradled the tiny jar in her palm not wanting to let it go. Booth picked up the next present and Brennan was glad to see that the guests had seemed to stick to their advice as it was an empty silver photo album that Booth's grandfather explained they should use for their wedding photos. Sweets bought them a tiny cactus, joking that he didn't trust them with anything more difficult to care for. There was a crystal vase from Russ and his wife; a dinner for two and an offer to babysit from Jared and from Cam a gift certificate for a weekend at a spa nearby. Only once all the gifts had been unwrapped and Max had declared that his present had been dropped off at her apartment already, an old wooden rocking that had belonged to her mother, did Angela finally pull out a final package, much larger than the others.

"This one's from me" she told them dragging it across the room to them and perching herself on the arm of the sofa next to her best friend.

It wasn't hard to guess what the paper and ribbon were hiding, yet when Brennan unwrapped the huge frame she was surprised by the picture staring back at her. It was a painted portrait, a perfect likeness to her and Booth who were smiling happily their arms wrapped around one another. It was so lifelike that for a moment Brennan wondered if they'd posed for the photo, only to notice the tiny AM scrawled in the bottom right corner that she had seen so many times before. It was one of Angela's paintings, she already had two hanging in her apartment, one in her bedroom the other in her study. One was a surrealist piece that she often gained inspiration from when she wrote and the other was a colourful abstract canvas. She was suddenly glad they'd decided to move as she had no idea where she'd fit another of Angela's fantastic paintings.

She turned to her friend "This is absolutely amazing, when did you do this?" they'd only decided a few weeks earlier that they were even getting married, she wasn't sure how Angela could have had time to not only organise the dresses but also paint such a detailed portrait.

"Um... A while ago" she admitted blushing slightly "Okay, a year ago. When we thought Booth was dead. I wanted you to have a reminder of him"

"Thank you Ange" she whispered throwing her arms around the artist trying to fight tears back yet again "I wish you'd stop making me cry.

Brennan had to admit then that gift giving wasn't a completely pointless and commercialised activity. She accepted that maybe, under the right circumstances it was quite... nice. But only if the gifts themselves were thoughtful, which they had been. There were certainly gifts that she would cherish for the rest of her life; Angela's painting for one, the jar of gemstones from Hodgins, a tiny plastic pig from Booth and little blue smurf.

"I'll give you your gift when we get home" Booth suddenly whispered straight into her ear. She nodded, she wasn't really curious about the gift, mostly because she knew if it was from Booth it would be thoughtful.

"You didn't have to get me anything" she reminded him.

"Of course I did" Brennan laughed, she'd never be able to talk him out of it, besides she'd already bought him something too.

She didn't notice Booth slip from her side a few minutes later as by that point she'd turned to talk to Angela who was already asking whether she felt any different now that she was married.

"I'm happy for you Seeley" Cam told him as they disappeared out to the balcony. Booth had to admit that despite everything they'd been through, Camille Saroyan was still a good friend and he'd never want anything less than the best for her, just as she did for him.

"Thanks Camille"

"I know it's what you've always wanted and I'm sorry that I wasn't the one who could give it to you. I really did love you Seeley. I'm glad you found her, she's going to keep you on your toes" the doctor joked.

"Oh I know" Booth groaned.

Cam laughed "Don't try that on me, I know you're going to love every minute of it. Cam was of course right, Booth would love every second that Temperance Brennan spent trying to drive him completely crazy. And he would love every second he could call her his wife, because you could never be sure when it was going to be over. But he tried not to think about that, at least not on his wedding day.


	19. Chapter 19

AN: I'm going to apologise profusely now... both for how long it's been since i updated and also for the quality of this chapter... very, very sorry, but i was sick and i will make it up to you eventually. . Also, would really appreciate if you would go over and vote for your fave and least fave Bones eps from each season (just follow the links from the first one) .

Chapter 19

"What would anybody need eight bedrooms for? That's just ridiculous" Booth asked incredulously to his new wife the next weekend after inspecting their third house of the day.

"If you had six kids, which I agree is ridiculous, then you would need at least seven bedrooms in order for each to have their own room, and you would ideally also want a guest bedroom. Or you could turn one into a study or something. I'm sure we could find uses for them all"

"You're not actually considering buying that place?" he asked, still incredulous.

"Sure, you heard the agent, it's a steal" He laughed, how could she still be so naive after everything that had happened to her.

"Bones, you never listen to real estate agents, or car salesmen, they always lie"

"Oh" she sounded disheartened by her lack of improvement in the social area and he pulled her into a hug, glad that he was finally allowed to do it whenever he wanted to.

"It's okay Bones, just pick the place you like, regardless of what the agent says"

"But you have to like it too... and Parker" she added looking down to the boy who was currently playing with the neighbour's dog on the grass.

"He'll be happy so long as he has a room and a yard" Booth told her smiling "Kids aren't too fussed about this kind of stuff"

"Okay, so you're telling me, our only criteria is a yard, at least four bedrooms, and all the other stuff that usually comes with a house?" Booth nodded at Brennan's unusually vague assessment.

"We have to like it too" All the houses they planned to look at were already in areas where Brennan had assessed the educational institutions, so they didn't need to worry about that.

"Not this place" Booth declared, almost immediately upon seeing the next house.

"But Booth, we haven't even been inside yet" Brennan protested.

At the next house though it was her who decided before they'd even gone inside that it wasn't for them. The sixth house was okay, they both agreed the seventh was awful, Parker didn't like the eighth. But they all agreed easily that the ninth was pretty good and after seeing the last two houses they'd decided the ninth would be perfect. It was a big place with a porch that wrapped all the way around, the backyard had a tiny pond and ancient oak tree with plenty of space for the dog Booth had always wanted. There were five bedrooms which Booth reasoned would leave them with an extra in case they decided to have a baby of their own one day. But there was also a study, a den and a spa. They could have easily afforded something much larger but Brennan argued that it would simply be wasteful and pointless when they had everything they needed.

They wouldn't know for at least a few days whether or not their offer was successful but the agent indicated that given Brennan's high standing in the literary community they could probably start packing immediately.

"I don't see what that has to do with anything" Brennan had whispered loudly to Booth. He'd shrugged apologetically to the agent who'd nodded understandingly her eyes falling to the obvious bulge of the anthropologist's stomach.

BB-BB-BB-BB-BB

"I am not having a baby shower" Brennan argued with her best friend two Saturday's later. They'd hear from the real estate agent a week earlier telling them they had the house and could move in as soon as they were ready.

"Of course you are sweetie, everybody has a baby shower, besides we've got it all set up." Angela explained in her no nonsense way.

"Ange!" Brennan protested again.

"Look Bren, it's not going to be a big deal, just a few people, some food and some talking. I won't even make you play any of those weird games"

"There's games at a baby shower?" Brennan asked disgusted.

"Usually" Angela agreed "Stuff with balloons, and dummies, diapers, you get the idea" the look of disgust that Brennan wore seemed to grow with each thing added to the list "We're not going to do that, but there will be presents" Brennan groaned. Angela had appeared at her door far earlier than she would have liked that morning insisting she drag herself out of bed and make herself look presentable. The protests had started when the pregnant anthropologist realised it was only seven thirty in the morning.

"Hodgins is going to be out for the day and he said we could use his place. Everything is set up on the deck, he even dragged one of the armchairs outside for you" she told Brennan, smiling at her once again fiancé's thoughtfulness.

"But Angela, I don't see the point of it"

"Then do it for me" Angela pleaded.

"Fine" She'd known Angela long enough to realise when stubbornness wouldn't get her anywhere.

"You knew about this?" she added, suddenly turning on Booth who was sitting at her dining room table reading the paper, a coffee in his hand.

"Of course" he agreed.

"Good call on getting here early, you were right about the resistance" Angela called happily to Booth turning to the clock that told her it was almost eleven "C'mon Bren, we gotta go, everyone will be there soon" Booth laughed as his wife was dragged away from him by the enthusiastic artist.

Angela had been truthful, it was a small group, just the four of them. Angela, Cam, Brennan and Amy. Brennan had to approve grudgingly of the get together, though Amy remained the only mother of the group and therefore the only one who could give her any advice. Amy did have plenty of advice to hand down, though whether Brennan accepted any of it was yet to be determined.

The gifts were traditional; Amy's gift consisting of a pile of very tiny clothes, Cam gave both a memory box for Brennan and a silver money box for the baby and Angela presented her with yet another Montenegro original painting. Many years later the artist would explain to the child that the colourful abstract painting did not symbolise any one thing but everything, because life and art was full of endless possibilities. Many years after that she would explain how to achieve the mixed affect on the canvas along with so many other techniques, before saying that none of those things really mattered, because the real trick was just to paint what you feel.

"Have you decided on any names?" Amy asked later that afternoon while they lazed happily on the deck a cool afternoon breeze blowing around them.

"A few" Brennan agreed, they'd been talking about it a lot in the recent weeks and there were a few things they liked "Maybe Angus or Lachlan if it's a boy, which is what the doctor's say, but Angela seems to think it's a girl, in which case we'll probably go with Amelia or Siobhan" None of the names had particularly special meaning, but each seemed somehow appropriate.

"I really like Lachlan" Amy decided after a moment, Brennan wondered why it was important that other people agree with her name choices, but culturally speaking it seemed quite common to seek acceptance in such areas.

"You know, I think I'm actually going to miss having you around the lab" Cam joked "I've gotten used to the constant challenge you pose"

"Well, it's good that you won't have to deal with that for a while then isn't it" Brennan retorted.

"Actually Sweetie..." Angela trailed off.

"He hasn't told her?" Cam asked surprised.

"Who hasn't told me what?"

"As of yesterday you are officially on maternity leave for the next three and a half months." Cam told her shortly, switching to boss mode with little difficulty. Brennan turned to Angela.

"Is that true" The artist nodded.

"He knew you wouldn't agree, but it's the best thing, you need to relax. Besides, I've got the next two weeks off as well, so we'll keep you busy. And after that they're letting Zack out of the hospital, so you two can do your meeting of the minds thing for a while and Booth is taking time off around your due date." Rationally speaking she knew that maternity leave was necessary, particularly in her line of work, it was becoming more difficult to examine the bones on the autopsy table as she could no longer lean over them as well. She was forced to do most of her work from x-rays and leave everything else to the interns. Yet the thought of not working for three months left a gaping hole in her life.

"I suppose that at least we'll have Zack back, so the lab will continue to run smoothly. Maybe if I just stay on until he's released from the hospital." Brennan posed.

"Excuse me?" Cam asked confused.

"I think Bren's under the impression that you're going to rehire Zack" Angela explained.

"Oh... I'm sorry Doctor Brennan, that can't happen, he was arrested and sent to a psychiatric hospital, he can't work in the lab anymore"

"But he didn't do what they accused him of" Brennan argued, not understanding.

"But he did aid a serial killing cannibal which makes him as responsible as that scum, and since he's dead they only have Zack's word." As far as Cam was concerned the case was closed, Zack Addy would never work at the Jeffersonian again, Brennan had other ideas.

"But you hired my dad, I don't see how this is any different, except that Zack has an exceptionally high IQ and is the only person as qualified for the job as myself"

Cam sighed, she wanted Brennan off her back "Fine, I'll consider it" she doubted she would change her mind though.

"Good. Now, I think I'd like to go home, I have a pick to bone with Booth"

"A bone to pick" Angela corrected laughing. Cam grimaced, Booth was in trouble; a pregnant, feisty, workaholic anthropologist who'd just found out he'd taken her work away without telling her... she wished she could be there to see the man's face.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: Hey guys, i know i've been REALLY lazy updating this. So i'm totally sorry to anyone who's actually stuck by this story. I appreciate it. And i promise that i'll get it finished within the next little bit. In fact after this there's only going to be a couple more chapters so you don't have long to wait... Well if you're still reading leave a few reviews and let me know... abuse me for being so lazy... whichever you prefer.

Chapter 20

"Seeley, Doctor Brennan's on her way home, and she's not happy. Why didn't you tell her about the maternity leave?" Cam decided it was her duty to prewarn her former lover of his wife's return. After all, she knew just how feisty Temperance Brennan could be and pregnancy did not seem to be having a mellowing affect on the anthropologist.

"Oh crap, I meant to tell her, but I knew she'd react badly so I kept putting it off"

"Seeley" Cam chastised "What were you going to do when she started getting ready for work on Monday morning?"

"I was going to tell her before that" Booth assured her.

"I guess it doesn't really matter now. She knows, no thanks to you"

"Cam" Booth pleaded "I've already got Bones mad at me, I don't need it from you too"

"I know that Seeley. But perhaps you should have thought about this before you decided to keep it from Doctor Brennan. You know what the lab means to her"

"But she can't work. Even you said so. Remember the other day? She could barely bend down to see the bones, she's missing things. You can't afford that" Booth argued.

"I know" Cam agreed with a sigh "Perhaps it should have been me to talk to her, but she's so much less combative with you." The head of the medico legal lab sounded defeated and it was only then that Booth realised what a strain Brennan had been on his ex for the past few years. Sometimes it was easy to forget how difficult the woman he loved could be. Not very often though.

"No Cam. She's my wife, I'm the only one she'll listen to, I should've talked to her sooner"

"Maybe we should have talked to her together" Cam suggested.

"Yeah" Booth sighed "I'm screwed aren't I?" Booth asked hoping for reassurance from his ex.

"I really don't know how you're going to dig yourself out of this one. If it makes it any easier you can tell her it was all my fault" Cam offered.

"I can't do that" Booth protested "You're my friend and you and Bones are just starting to get along, I can't wreck that for you. Plus she deserves the truth"

"Even if it costs you your marriage?" Cam asked surprised.

"Thanks for making me feel better Camille" the sarcasm poured off him in waves.

"Sorry Seeley. I just want to make sure you know what you're risking here"

"Believe me, I know" Booth assured her "I have to go. I think she's back" Booth added, hearing a noise in the hallway.

"Good luck Seeley. You know I'm not a believer in true love and soulmates, but for you two I might make an exception. You seem perfect for each other" Coming from Cam Saroyan those words meant far more than if they had come from someone like Angela who seemed to fall in love every other month.

"Thanks Cam. I'll talk to you later" Booth clicked his phone shut quickly and threw it on to the table, just as he was about to collapse onto the sofa and wait for his moment of reckoning with his wife he heard the front door of the apartment click shut.

"Booth!" Brennan shrieked from the entranceway "Booth!" she repeated "Get over here, I need to talk to you" she added in a yell that all the neighbours had probably heard.

Like a puppy who knew he'd done wrong he slinked into the entry, his body shrunk close to the wall away from her reproach. Angela was standing behind Brennan and threw him a look that said 'tread carefully, she's just spent the last twenty minutes in the car ranting about you'.

"Hi" he'd meant to sound confident but it came out in a squeak.

"That's all you have to say to me? What about something about the fact that you talked to Cam behind my back and had me put on maternity leave. That's my job Booth, you can't take it away from me just because I'm pregnant" The volume of her voice lowered enough that they would hopefully avoid disturbing the neighbours but it was still far above normal levels.

"Yes Cam and I talked. Yes we decided it would be best for you to start maternity leave early. No we didn't tell you. Cam thought it would be best if I told you but I knew how upset you'd be so I kept putting it off. But you have to understand, you can't perform your job properly in your condition" Booth decided to try the logic tactic, it was the only thing Brennan could respond to "And you know as well as I do that it's important to keep your stress to a minimum for the sake of the baby. I'm not saying that you can't help out every once in a while if they really need you but you can't keep working all the time, it puts too much stress on your body"

"And you don't think sitting around this place all the time is going to be stressful? I'm used to working Booth. I'll be bored at home" Brennan pleaded, her voice still held a hint of anger though it had ebbed away since her initial outburst.

"You've still got your book to work on, and you can set up the new house get ready for the baby. Catch up on your reading. And Angela has the next two weeks off to keep you company" He reminded gesturing to the artist who was still lingering in the doorway searching for a way to excuse herself from the domestic quarrel and at the same time enjoying the show.

"So you want me to be some pathetic housewife?" Brennan retorted, her anger returning quickly.

"No. I want you to be you. Just with a little less working. Logically you know that what I'm saying is right. It might not be what you want, but you want our baby born healthy and this is how that's going to happen" Booth tried reasoning with her, and sensing her anger disappearing again took the risk of closing the distance between her so that they were only a foot from one another. She didn't pull away.

"Of course I want my baby born healthy... Wait, did you just say 'our' baby?" she asked having suddenly realised what he'd said.

"Yeah. That's what it is" Brennan nodded in agreement a slight smile gracing her features and Booth realised that they had manage to weather yet another disagreement. They might still be on slightly rocky ground but he knew that their relationship was no longer in jeopardy, given time things would return to normal. Or as close to normal as things could be when you were married to a slightly emotionally stunted, pop culture virgin, pregnant, forensic anthropologist.

"Hey, did you just say house?" Angela interrupted suddenly.

"Yeah. We just found out. We got the house, we're going to move in the next few weeks. Maybe you could talk to Hodgins and get him to help out?" Booth asked, having almost forgotten the artist's presence in their home.

"Congratulations" she offered "Yeah, of course we'll help, whatever you need." Booth smiled, Angela was one of the best friends anyone could ever ask for, despite her occasional nagging and over excited squeals she was incredibly kind and loyal almost to a fault.

"Thanks" Brennan took that moment to groan her hand going to Booth's chest to steady herself.

"Bones?" Booth questioned, if something was wrong with his wife then he needed to know what it was.

"From what I've read I believe that my water just broke and that I am currently in the early stages of labour. However the contractions are still a long way apart so we probably still ahve plenty of time to get to the hospital" Brennan explained in her scientific way, all the while gripping Booth's arm tightly to keep upright.

"But it's early" Booth protested slipping his arm around her back to steady her.

"I'm well aware of that Booth, along with the complications it could pose, but we need to get to the hospital right now"

"Of course" Booth agreed already reaching for his car keys and phone leaving Brennan propped against her friend for a few minutes.

When he returned he directed his words to Angela "I'm going to get her to the hospital. But could you stay and pack a few things for her. Toothbrush, a change of clothes, pyjamas, you know... whatever you think she'll need" Booth added not entirely sure himself what Brennan would need at the hospital.

"Yeah of course" Angela agreed. "I'll see you in a little bit Sweetie, stay strong, the baby will be fine" Her friend reassured. As they made their way out the door Brennan not even protesting Booth supporting her weight against his body, Booth threw a smile back to Angela, it turned out the artist was pretty good at reading people too. He just hoped she was right and that the baby wouldn't suffer any ill effects from being born so early. All he knew was that in the worst case scenario the outcome would be death of either the baby or the mother. Either of those options was unacceptable to him.


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, i'm glad there's still people keeping track of this. And new people finding it wow... i don't have time to thank everyone individually right now, but i'm rewarding you all with a new chapter. Actually it's going to be the last one... just the epilogue to come... i know it's kind of a random spot to end it and not really how i planned... but the epilogue will answer everything i swear...

Chapter 21

"Bones? How are you doing?" Booth took a moment to glance over at his wife in the passenger seat. Her face held a stony look of practised nonchalance, but he'd known her far too long to believe that what was happening didn't bother her.

"I'm fine. The contractions really aren't that bad and I haven't really had that many they're still so far apart." As usual she attempted to cover any emotional fragility with facts and physical ailments. She knew perfectly well he wanted to know what was happening emotionally.

"Bones" he warned.

"Fine... I'm scared okay?" she admitted dryly finally turning to face him as they pulled up at a red light "Really scared" she added her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn't stop the tears that began to slide down her cheeks or the sobs that wracked her body but Booth's hand resting atop hers and squeezing managed to calm her a little.

"We'll get through this" he promised, and as always she believed him "Whatever happens" Suddenly an image flashed through her mind of a tiny little baby boy still covered in blood and placenta. An image of panicked doctors frantically searching for a pulse that wasn't there, of a child she would never get to see grow up and the tears began to fall harder and faster, she could hardly breathe.

If it had been any other day, Booth would have pulled off the road and comforted her until he was sure she was okay, but he knew getting her to the hospital was far more important. Instead he kept his hand pressed in hers, squeezing gently with each sob that escaped her lips until finally in between sobs she began to explain.

"So much" sob "could go wrong" sob "neuro" sob "neurological" sob "defects" sob "respiratory" sob "problems"

"Bones" Booth interrupted "You can't think about that right now. You stressing is just going to make things worse. Baby's can sense that kind of stuff and he'll get scared and stressed and I'm pretty sure that's a bad thing." Brennan nodded trying to force her breathing under control, despite his almost childlike explanation he was right. Her stress would likely transfer to the foetus and could cause complications to the birth and complications were something that she'd like to avoid.

Finally after what seemed like forever to Brennan they made it to the hospital and explained their situation to the woman at the front desk who immediately steered Brennan to a wheelchair despite her protests that she was capable of walking.

"I'm going to have to insist" the nurse explained "It's hospital policy. We'll just have your husband here steer you up to the maternity ward on the third floor. I'll make sure they know you're coming." At her explanation Brennan sank into the chair once again accepting that what she might want was perhaps not what was best given the situation.

"Fine" she muttered, making sure that the nurse knew she wasn't happy about being pushed around like a child. The nurse threw Booth a look of amusement and pity as he steered her towards the elevators. Had there been time he would have explained to the nurse that whilst difficult Temperance Brennan was the love of his life and proof that the heart wants what the heart wants and that is all there is to the matter. Instead he smiled happily at the woman as she returned to the desk to call up to the maternity ward before turning back to the woman he was proud to be married to.

"Okay Ms. Brennan, we'll get you settled in and into a hospital gown the Doctor will be –"

"It's Doctor Brennan" the anthropologist interrupted.

"Of course Doctor Brennan" the maternity nurse agreed putting particular emphasis on the Doctor "As I was saying once you're settled in the doctor will be around to check on your condition. In the mean time it would be of great help if you or your husband could time the distance between your contractions" The nurse added before directing them to a single hospital room. Booth nodded in agreement with the nurse's wishes, Brennan just glared as the woman retreated to the nurse's station.

"Who does she think she is?" Brennan began muttering as Booth searched for the hospital gown the nurse had assured would be in the room "I have a Doctorate, you know"

"Yes Bones, I know you have a Doctorate and an abnormally high IQ, but right now we have to trust that she knows what she's talking about. Your Doctorate is in forensic anthropology not medicine. Now we need to get you in your gown" Booth gestured to the horrible blue monstrosity he found in the draw and back to his wife, who just squinted at the garment in disgust.

"Fine" she agreed and with her back turned to Booth began unbuttoning her shirt and then pants. Finally she unclasped her bra and slid her ruined panties to the floor before finally taking the robe from Booth.

It was only a minute after Booth ushered her onto the bed that the doctor appeared and began firing questions at the pair. How far apart were her contractions? 11 minutes. Approximately how long ago had her water broken? Perhaps 40 minutes. How many weeks was she? 30 weeks. It seemed to go on forever before he finally concluded after a cursory glance beneath her gown that she was definitely in labour.

"Now I know this is early but there is still a good chance that the foetus will be born healthy. We'll run some tests and see what we can find out but in the mean time you just try and relax. We're going to do the best we can to have you a healthy baby. Remember there have been babies born as early as twenty one weeks who have gone on to lead relatively healthy lives." Brennan nodded as the Doctor disappeared, she was well aware of the statistics on preterm births along with the risks and it was definitely the relatively that was worrying to her. Healthy relative to what?

Despite Brennan's protests about hygiene and the ridiculousness of it, when it was time Booth accompanied her to the theatre. By that time Angela had made it to the hospital with an overnight bag stuffed with the things she thought Brennan might need including her laptop and a couple of the most recent anthropological journals she'd seen on the table having remembered Brennan had told her how much she was looking forward to catching up on them.

"Bones, baby, you're gonna have to push" Booth hated to see his wife in pain, he could handle getting shot at, being abused by scum, sniping men he'd never met from hundreds of metres away, but seeing Bones in pain had him wanting to curl into a little ball and cry like a little kid.

Despite all the books Brennan had read about labour none of them could quite accurately describe the feeling of giving birth. None of it had quite prepared her for the intense pain she felt. Rationally she knew that it was not half as bad as being captured and held hostage by men who were probably the government in a country she barely knew. Yet, at the time it felt far worse. It was almost like the was being ripped apart from the inside out. For a moment she wondered why anyone would ever willingly go through the process more than once, knowing how much pain there would be. But then, just as she was promising herself to never have anymore children she heard her baby's first cry and caught sight of the tiny, screaming, blood covered thing for the first time.

Her pain seemed to dull slightly at the sight of the little bundle and she realised that what she was feeling was far outweighed by the joy that her son would bring her and that she'd be a fool not to try again. She'd have to be crazy to not want a child with Booth, to not want to see what genetical marvel would come of their coupling. He was after all a very attractive man.

It was as Brennan was laying imagining her future children happy that her baby seemed for the most part healthy, and content to let the medical personnel do what they needed to without interrupting that she realised her baby wasn't at all what she'd expected. She finally heard Booth muttering into her ear random words of comfort.

"Bones, look. Isn't she gorgeous, that's our little girl"

Girl. She took a quick peak. Yep, those were definitely girl parts. She smiled a little, Angela had been right. What a strange and yet wonderful day, when all of modern medicine was wrong, yet a flighty artist had things right.

Brennan frowned when having cleaned the baby girl she was placed immediately in an incubator without even letting her mother hold her. It suddenly seemed like the most important thing in the world that she get to hold her baby.

"Why's she in an incubator?" Booth asked frowning, every part the worried father.

"It's just a precaution. Considering everything we need to be extra careful, she seems to be quite healthy but there could still be complications" Brennan nodded sadly, Booth seemed shocked. How could they take away their little girl, she needed to be held and nurtured. She was their baby.

Booth and Brennan watched as their little girl was wheeled away from them comforted only by a stark white blanket and far too many tubes.

"She's going to be okay" Brennan whispered, more to herself than Booth. She was their baby, and she wouldn't just be okay, she would be perfect.


	22. Chapter 22

AN: Well, here it is... the end. I'm kinda sad to see it. Maybe that's why i put off writing the rest for so long. But it feels good to finally have it finished. I hope no one is too upset by the ending (nobody hurt me for the name, but it seemed logical... probably only if you've read the books). Anyway, big thanks to everyone who's reviewed. I'd love to name everyone by name but that would take a while. So thanks to csimesser1, mustanggirlz07, cyn23, crazy camera, bonetrek and anyone else i've forgotten who's managed to stick around for the whole thing, you're all awesome. Stick around, because i'm sure there'll be more stuff coming soon... well maybe not really soon since it's almost exams and NaNo but... keep your eyes open.

Epilogue

It was almost a month before they could bring Katherine (Katie for short) Brennan home, and even then the doctor's weren't overly happy. Booth had taken time off after Brennan's early birth and when she was released from hospital five days after her delivery they began to set about moving into their new house. That is when they weren't at the hospital with Katie. Angela had helped Booth do most of the packing because Brennan was supposed to be taking it easy. They'd moved in on the weekend with Hodgins help and Brennan had happily spent the next couple of weeks moving between the hospital and setting up the new house ready for Katie to finally come home.

She was still tiny when she was first introduced to her new home, far smaller than most babies, but for the most part she was healthy. The doctor's warned that they would need to keep a careful eye on her, particularly her breathing, which Brennan explained to Booth was because the lungs were the last organ to develop in a foetus and Katie's would likely not be as well formed as a full-term birth.

Parker stayed with them the first weekend that Katie was home, it was also the weekend of their housewarming. Parker seemed almost scared of Katie at first, probably because she was so small and fragile looking but Brennan taught him how to hold her properly with her head cradled and body supported. She quickly wormed her way into even Parker's heart her tiny little fingers grasping at his from beneath a fluffy pink blanket (courtesy of Angela). The little boy completely forgot that little sister's were dorky and fell into the role of big brother easily.

Brennan decided that day that life was pretty good. She was living in a house that she'd always dreamed of, with the man who loved her, the baby she loved more than everything and the little boy she loved like a son. She was surrounded by family who would help her whenever things got too hard, or when she didn't understand something about motherhood or later when Katie started spouting pop culture like her father Angela would explain it to her.

Angela and Hodgins were back together and happy, Brennan didn't doubt that their wedding would once again be back on in the very near future, or that children would quickly follow. Cam had Michelle and she was slowly muddling through her sudden parenthood and the lost years with the girl she'd always thought of as hers. Sweets, was well... Sweets. But he had Daisy, and maybe she wasn't perfect (okay, she was completely crazy) but she kept Sweets happy and busy. Her father was around again, so at least Katie would have one grandparent, even if he was an ex con and murderer. Her brother had Amy and the girls and as it turned out, soon a son (if everything went well). But best of all, Zack was back. Her lovable, if slightly naive assistant who had once betrayed her for a serial killer was finally out of the nuthouse and she couldn't be happier.

Looking around at her makeshift family Brennan finally felt that there was absolutely nothing that could make her life any better or more fulfilled than it was at that exact moment. Not that she wouldn't enjoy and cherish another child, with Booth as the biological father this time, but she was definitely perfectly happy with what she had in life. After all, isn't that all anyone can ask for?


End file.
